Zim's Awakening
by Toph15AVATAR
Summary: When Zim befriends Gaz after a humiliating incident with Dib, he soon discovers that he is a defect. Zim starts to question his life and decides to get even, but he can't do it alone... alot more happens, Tak returns ZaGr DaTr slight ZaDr but ZaDf in end.
1. Dib's never ending doom

**Author's Note: This didn't really turn out as I planned, but oh well. It may be a little sucky but please give it a chance. This is my first story, and I would LOVE to hear what you think about it.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"_You'd think that people would be a little more_

_eager to fight off an alien-invading spore!"_

_-Dib_

* * *

Dib sat on the other side of the cafeteria, glaring at Zim, who was, as usual, not eating his food. How is it that after three years, no one else had figured out that Zim was an alien? I mean, come on! Wasn't it obvious? It infuriated Dib to know that Zim was able to walk around free to do as he wished on a planet that he would eventually destroy. And what was even worse is that everybody _lets him_. Because they were too ignorant to listen to Dib, or even see it for themselves for that matter!

Zim felt Dib's glare on him and looked up to return it. Their anger-filled eyes met and stayed locked for a long time. Finally, Dib turned to his sister, Gaz.

"He's up to something, Gaz. I wonder what it is _this_ time." said Dib.

"Probably something stupid." Gaz said with little interest as she poked at her food.

Dib turned his gaze back to Zim, who was fiddling with something in his PAK until he noticed Dib was watching. Zim quickly turned towards Dib's direction to continue the staring contest.

"Hey, what was that . . . _thing_ in his back-pack? Maybe it's a MIND-CONTROLING DEVICE!" Dib said quietly at first, but yelled the last three words. Everybody turned to look at Dib, who only coughed then slid down in his seat until he was out of sight. The kids resumed with their lunch time.

Dib suddenly seemed to rise up from under Zim's table. Zim didn't notice this, however, and went back to fiddling with his PAK until Dib spoke up.

"What are you planning THIS time, _Zim_? Huh? Huh?" Dib questioned. Zim jerked his head around and shot Dib a look that could cut through you.

"I don't know what you're talking about, _Dib-stink_. The only thing I'm _planning_ is HOW TO TELL MY PARENTS I FAILED MY MATH TEST!" Zim said to Dib, but then turned to the cafeteria and shouted aloud. Dib narrowed his eyes.

"What about that thing in you back-pack? Huh? Some sort of alien mind control helmet." Dib said. Zim closed his eyes and smiled innocently.

"Of course not! I only have normal middle-skool student things in there. Nothing out of the ordinary with this earth child!" Zim falsely explained. But when he opened his eyes, Dib was gone. He looked around for any sight of him, but didn't see anything. Suddenly, Zim felt his PAK open. He darted his head over his shoulder and saw Dib pulling out an alien-looking device from the PAK. Zim gasped.

"Get out of there you filthy human! That's _mine_!" Zim yelled as he clawed blindly at the air, hoping he would hit Dib. But he didn't. Dib grabbed the device and jumped over towards the door. He held the object up in the air and announced to the student-body.

"LOOK! EVERYONE, LOOK! ZIM _IS_ AN ALIEN, AND NOW I HAVE _PROOF_! I found this . . . this, _alien thingy_ . . . in his back-pack!" Dib shouted aloud. The students just stared at him for a moment. Then they all burst into laughter. Dib started to lower the device and his expression of accomplishment started to fade. Why were they all laughing at him? He . . . he actually had _proof_ this time. Here it was right in front of them, and _still_, they mocked him. What was WRONG with these people? Were they really this dense?

"But . . . but, I have proof . . ." Dib stuttered. But the horrible children continued their laughter.

"Do you see the look on his face?" one child added.

"What a loser!" another kid said, causing yet another wave of laughs. Dib was starting to get angry.

"Oh, wow, look how mad he's getting, you guys!"

"You know, we're getting sick and tired of you and your random out-bursts, Dib! You're always interrupting class with your crazy assumptions! Can't you see that no one cares? You're in the eighth grade now! Give it up!" A random, cruel, popular girl pointed out. Dib was speechless; yet somehow, not surprised. He stood there wide-eyed and jaw agape until Zim came walking over.

"You see, Dib? No matter what evidence you have against me, no one will ever believe you. Just accept your fate and give up. You CANNOT STOP ME! Soon you and these other pitiful pig-smellies with be my slaves." Zim said with an evil grin of self-satisfaction. Dib felt his fists beginning to shake as anger consumed his body. He gritted his teeth and lunged towards Zim. Dib grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"I will _never_ give up. You will _never_ take over the earth because I will stop you at every turn! So YOU might as well give up, _Zim_!" Dib spat. Zim's eyes narrowed and he got in Dib's face and growled at the human for getting in his personal space. Dib got right back in Zim's face, so close they were touching foreheads.

"I don't care who's on my side! You will take over the earth over my . . . dead . . . BODY!" Dib growled back. Being this close, Dib was able to see past Zim's contacts and a red glow seemed to fill his eyes. They continued their glaring contest for what seemed like forever. Finally, Dib slowly began to lean back and walk away when suddenly . . .

SLAM!

Willie just kicked the heavy-metal, cafeteria entrance door open, causing it to slam up against Dib, causing Dib to slam up against Zim, Causing them to . . . well . . . kiss.

Dib was slammed up against Zim so perfectly, that the alignment of their mouths matched up. Dib had his hands against the wall, his arms practically straddling Zim; while Zim's hands seemed to be pressed against Dib's chest. As soon as their minds could comprehend what just happened – which took a matter of milliseconds – their eyes shot opened and they began to blush madly. They quickly pushed away from each other and began to gag and cough in disgust.

Did they just do what they thought they did? Dib couldn't believe what had just happened! He had just _kissed_ an alien invader; the enemy! And worst of all . . . it was Dib's first kiss. How did that just happen? He was going to _**KILL**_ Willie!

Zim was gagging and spitting out this taste of _human_ in his mouth. Disgusting! Who knows where The Dib's mouth has been. He made a mental note to check for diseases when he got home.

When the two boys looked up, they saw the whole cafeteria staring back at them. This time it wasn't just the students, but the lunch ladies, janitors, and hall monitors as well. Even Gaz looked up in shock, both her eyes wide open and jaw dropped. Whispers started to fill the room.

"Did . . . Dib and Zim just . . . _kiss_?"

"I think so . . ."

"I never knew they were gay . . ."

"What a shocker"

" . . . I thought they hated each other . . ."

" . . . Though, it does kinda . . . make sense"

"I'm confused"

Zim and Dib looked around in horror. Now everybody thought they were in love. How could one little accident be blown completely out of proportion? Zim looked around, terrified and confused.

"Hey, maybe they are in love . . . WHY DIDN'T WE SEE THIS BEFORE?" another student said.

Did an earth child just say the word "love"? Zim suddenly felt sick and clutched his squeedly-spooch. Dib started to feel dizzy.

"I guess they've been in love this whole time, and only pretended to hate each other just for show." And with that, the two ran out the door screaming.

"Great. Just great," Dib thought. "Things couldn't get any worse!"

**

* * *

**

**Somewhere, 2 dozen-light-years away . . . **

"Hey, what's that thing in the sky hurdling towards our planet?" Said Jeffery, a fat, transparent, hovering, glowing, Shreecroniod.

"Huh? Oh . . . I don't know." Said Jeffery's friend, Glen the Shreecroniod.

The two aliens watched this ball of fire crash onto the surface of their planet. They hovered over to see what it was. The flames began to die down into something more visible. In the newly, created crater sat an escape pod-looking space craft.

"Ohhhhhhhhh . . . it's a spaceship!" said Jeffery.

"Pft! Told you so!" said Glen

Just then, the space craft began to open. And out of the smoke, rose a green, proud, female alien whose aura just screamed danger and confidence. She stood atop of a nearby rock with her hands on her hips, looking up at the sky of this strange planet. Her antennas twitched as she sensed someone's presence. She turned around, sharply as her intense gaze fell upon Jeffery and Glen.

"Hello," said Jeffery cheerfully. "Welcome to planet Shreecron! I'm Jeffery and this is Glen."

"Sup?" added Glen. The Green girl only raised a non-existent eyebrow as she studied to to obviously inferior organisms.

"Soooooo . . . what's your name?" Glen finally asked.

The two Shreecroniods herd sounds coming from the ship. They turned to see a small, metal robot climb out and walk towards the green alien.

"My name is Tak"

* * *

**Author's note: Thanks for reading. Please comment and tell me what you think. I originally didn't plan on introducing Tak into the story until later on but, that didn't really work out. I hope it's not too sudden. Next chapter up real soon.**


	2. Zim's exciting new game

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed (MASTERGAMERSEMPAI, and heartofstone15: thanks for the reviews, it really inspired me.) Just the fact that people are reading this brings joy to my heart! anyways, this chapter is kinda long, but i din't want to cut it short and have nothing happen. so here it is: enjoy!**

_Y__es, yes, LORD OF HUMANS! _

_I will rule you all with an Iron Fist!_

_-Zim_

* * *

Zim and Dib ran screaming down the hallway. Not once did they look back at the cafeteria. Finally, they reached a point where the path split. It was here that they stopped to breathe. Dib had his hands on his knees and was looking down at the ground. Zim was leaning up against the wall with his eyes' squeezed shut. Both were inhaling deeply. After a few moments of this, they looked at each other. The two of them screamed in unison and ran away in opposite directions.

**

* * *

**

Zim's House

Zim ran inside and shut the door behind him. He pressed his back up against the door as he franticly looked around, panting. He felt a sudden chill of cold metal press up against him.

"Welcome home, son!" Robo-dad screamed aloud, with a thousand yard stare on his face. Zim pushed him out of the way, not in the mood to deal with their stupid malfunctioning. And speaking of malfunctioning Robots . . .

"Hi!" said Gir, cheerfully. He was sitting upside down on the couch watching an annoying commercial. Zim just looked at him for a second, saying nothing. Then he went right back into panic mode.

"Computer! I need you to run a scan and see if I have and filthy Earth diseases. And _hurry_!" Ordered Zim with worry in his voice. Like clockwork, a red-laser grid appeared on his body. The laser began to slowly spread across his features, and disappeared with a white flash.

"Processing . . ." said the computer in a monotone-robotic voice. Beeps began to fill the room and Zim started to shake and sweat with anxiety.

"Analysis complete. Zim, you're fine." said the computer, in a slightly annoyed tone. Zim breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He began to let himself relax a little more. He was fine. Good. Now that that was out of the way, he must _destroy the Dib-beast_ for defiling him with his disgusting earth-saliva.

"Hey, why do you ask anyway?" asked the computer. Zim froze.

"And why are you home so early? It's only 1:00." Continued the computer.

"Well, if you MUST know . . . today at lunch—" Zim began, but was cut off.

"YOU HAD CORN?" Screamed out Gir, inserting himself into the conversation.

"BE QUIET!" Zim yelled back. There was a pause as Zim glared at Gir. Soon after, he continued.

"Anyway, today at lunch, the Dib-human slammed me up against the wall. As I was intimidating him with my _intimidating_ face, he started to back away. But then, out of nowhere, He was threw himself up against me and squished his mouth against mine!" Exclaimed Zim in a slightly winey voice. Silence filled the room. After what seemed like hours, the computer spoke up.

"Wait a second . . . are you saying he . . . _kissed_ you?" asked the computer suspiciously.

"Hmm? I . . . am not sure. What is this . . . 'kiss' you speak of?" Zim asked.

"Well," started the computer; pictures of couples, hearts, and lips began to fill a screen that descended from the ceiling. "It's what two people do to show that they love, or have romantic feelings for someone." Zim clutched his squeedly-spooch as nausea filled his body. There was that word again: love. Well Zim certainly did NOT love the Dib-stink! And it was pretty clear that Dib hates Zim, too. So the whole . . . "kiss" incident . . . didn't make any sense. None the less, Zim would still make Dib pay for the humiliation he had caused him.

"I see . . . come Gir, we have much work to do." Zim said as he began to walk towards the toilet. Gir watched his master walk a little bit before following. Gir jumped off the couch and landed on his head. He began to hop on his head until he reached the toilet as well. Then he jumped in, still head first and disappeared into the underground labs after his master. A few minutes later, the computer quietly chuckled to himself.

"Zim kissed an earth-male!" the computer cackled, then began to laugh slightly louder.

**

* * *

**

Dib's House

"!" Dib yelled as he busted through the door. He ran up to the bathroom and began to violently brush his teeth. After about 10 minutes of brushing, spitting, rinsing, and gargling, Dib turned on the shower to _scalding_ hot. He stripped and stepped in so quickly he fell and hit his head, knocking him unconscious.

***3 hours later***

Gaz walked in the house, her eyes glued to her gameslave. She slung her things next to the door and headed towards the kitchen. With one hand on the fridge and the other on her gameslave (surprisingly playing one-handed), she opened up the fridge and got out some soda. She sat down on the couch and took a sip of the diet poop. Suddenly, she saw a low battery light flicker on her screen. She reached into her pocket, where she normally kept her spear batteries, but she only pulled out a few pennies and some lint. Where were her batteries? She looked around with her hand on her chin, trying to remember where they were last. She checked the end-table's drawer at the end of the couch, but there was still no sign of her missing batteries. Dib probably had something to do with this.

"Dib! Where are my spear batteries?" Gaz yelled aloud, but she didn't hear a response.

"Dib, you better answer me!" she said, but still nothing. Gaz grumbled as she got up from the couch and stomped upstairs. She could hear the shower running. She banged on the bathroom door.

"Dib, open up!" she demanded. She waited a few seconds but she didn't hear any movement. Now she was getting mad.

"Dib, if you don't open this door _right now_, then I will plunge you into a dark abyss so deep, that your screams will only echo in your own mind. The eternal fall will suck away your sanity so violently that you will literally be begging for DEATH!" Gaz threatened. But when she still heard nothing, that's when her eyes shot open, straining with anger; her teeth gritted so hard that her lips trembled; her fists balled up so hard that her nails dug into her palm. How DARE Dib challenge her like this! She would make him _pay_. With one single movement, Gaz kicked down the door. But to her surprise, she was swarmed with intoxicating, hot vapors. She coughed. How long had he been in there? She fanned away the vapors with her hand to form a path. She looked around.

"Dib?" she said aloud. _Still _no answer. Where _was_ he? She looked at the shower curtain, but didn't see his silhouette. She gently pulled open the curtain but saw nothing but water raining down. Her eyes slowly drifted downwards to see her naked brother in an unconscious, crumpled heap. She winced. _Ew_. She thought. His whole body was red, probably because of the burning-hot water, and he seemed to have been bleeding from his arms and legs at one point. Gaz turned the water to bitter cold, then she back-hand slapped Dib _hard_ in the face. He let out a soft moan as he weakly lifted up his hand to rub his now sore face.

"Wake up! You're wasting water!" Gaz told the half awake brother. Gaz turned around and walked out of the bathroom. She was still angry about the batteries, but if getting them back meant waiting on Dib's naked self, then she would pass. A few seconds after Gaz left the room, Dib jumped up and out of the shower, ripping down the curtain.

"COOOOOOOLLLLLD!" He yelled.

* * *

A few minutes later, Gaz had found her batteries (They were in her _other _pocket!) and continued her game. Dib had tended to his burns and was upstairs in his room getting dressed. Just when things were starting to get peaceful, there was a loud bang at the door. Gaz ignored it, she was in the zone. But the banging continued. She let out a growl and paused her game. She opened up the door to reveal a poorly disguised alien with his poorly disguised robot.

Zim was surprised to see Dib's sister open the door rather than Dib himself.

"Um, hello fellow earth child. I request to see your sibling-unit, is he around?" Zim said. Gaz just stared at him a while. Zim was starting to feel awkward. But thankfully, Gaz finally responded. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, he's around. Come on in I guess." Gaz said. She turned and went back to the couch where she continued her game. Zim walked in with a nervous look on his face.

"So . . . where's Dib?" asked Zim.

"Upstairs." Gaz replied, not taking an eye off of her gameslave.

"Well . . . can you go get him?" Zim requested.

"No." Gaz said bluntly. Zim looked a little irritated.

"Why?" He argued.

"Because he's getting dressed and I have no intentions of watching him do so." Gaz stated. There was a pause.

"Oh." Zim simply said. Another pause followed.

"But if you want to go get him, you're more than welcome." Gaz said with a smirk on her face. She couldn't help herself. After that gay moment between Zim and Dib, that's all everybody had been talking about at skool. And she just couldn't resist this golden opportunity for a gay joke. Zim, however, didn't think it was funny. Anger spread across his face.

"Let me make this clear, _Little-Gaz_, Dib and I are mortal enemies, and we are most certainly NOT in love! Besides, if I was going to select a mate, I think I can do better than _Dib_. And for the record, I am not "gay" or "queer " or whatever you humans call it!"

Suddenly, the room got slightly darker. The two of them looked over to see Gir attempting to eat a Membrane lamp. Gaz didn't seem to care; she turned her attention to Zim.

"Look, Dib shouldn't be much longer; he'll be down in a little bit." Gaz informed him. There was another long, awkward pause. All that could be heard was Gir's metallic chewing, and Gaz's game's sound effects. Zim slowly started to approach Gaz. He did his best to seem casual, but he wasn't sure he succeeded.

"So . . . have we ever . . . I don't know . . . _met_ before?" Zim asked awkwardly (this was his attempt at small talk).

"Not officially." Gaz replied, eyes still glued to her gameslave. Zim cleared his throat.

"Well, my name is ZIM!" Zim exclaimed as he jumped on the couch, arms in the air, for dramatic effect. Gaz glanced over at him, with a "Really?" look on her face.

"I'm Gaz." Gaz stated, her eyes returning to her game. Zim slowly sat down on the couch, on the opposite end of Gaz. He looked around and drummed his fingers on his lap.

"So, you're Dib's sister, yes?" Zim asked, not sure what else to say.

"Uh-huh." Gaz answered with little interest. There was another pause. Zim noticed that Gaz was playing on that game console she always has. Why did she play it so much? What is there to gain, or to lose for that matter? Zim studied her as her thumbs moved from button to button at lightning speed. _Well that's . . . kind of . . . impressive._ Zim thought. Whatever the purpose of the game was, Zim had no doubt in his mind that Gaz was very good at it.

"Whatcha playin'?" Zim asked with genuine curiosity as he scooted closer to Gaz.

"Vampire Piggy Slayer 4." Gaz answered.

"Hmmm . . . and what is the purpose of this . . . _game_?" Zim asked. He was so close to Gaz now, they were almost touching. Zim was watching the screen and saw a tall, green creature in a black cape shooting and stabbing floating, flaming, piggies.

"To kill all of the piggies." Gaz answered.

"Why?" Zim asked.

"I don't know, because the game tells you too." Gaz said as she entered a hard level.

"Oh . . . Well, what happens when you kill all of the piggies?" asked Zim.

"You enter the castle of Pork and have to slay the Giant Vampire Piggy." said Gaz.

"Is that difficult?" said Zim with wonder in his voice. Gaz paused the Game and looked at Zim. Why was he asking so many questions? Nobody ever asked Gaz about her games, so why was he? Gaz narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. It's very Difficult, Zim." said Gaz. This time, she didn't return to her game. She had a feeling Zim was going to ask more. She was right.

"If it's so difficult, then why do you play?" Zim asked. Gaz opened one eye.

"Because, sometimes it's fun to have a good challenge. You can't just give up when things get hard. You've got to try." Gaz replied. Zim could relate to this. Ever since the tallest gave him this mission, it had been the hardest thing Zim had ever done. Sometimes, he did consider giving up, but he refused to give up his mission and earn the respect that he SO deserved from the tallest. So Zim just kept trying, knowing the effort might be hopeless.

"Is that why you play? Because it's fun?" Zim asked Gaz. Gaz raised an eyebrow. He just wouldn't stop with the questions. Gaz sighed, excepting the fact that as long as Zim was here, she wouldn't be able to play her game. She set the gameslave aside and turned her full attention to Zim.

"Yeah, I guess . . . but I mainly just play it because I'm bored with everyday life. That, and when I beat a level, I feel a sense of accomplishment, I guess." Gaz said. Zim had no idea. Gaz was bored with her life? Granted, all of the human lifestyles Zim had witnessed seemed to be pointless and boring, but never did the humans _themselves_ actually seem to think so. But then again, Zim had noticed in the past that Gaz was different from most humans. She was smarter than the rest of them; not nearly as pathetic.

" . . . So, when you play the game, you feel like your life has meaning?" said Zim.

" . . . Yeah, I suppose that's what I'm trying to say." Gaz said. She looked at Zim and studied him for a while. She decided to ask him a similar question.

"Do you feel like your life has meaning?" she questioned. Zim looked a little surprised. Never had he ever questioned if his life was meaningful. Because it obviously was! He was an Irken invader, a very important job that could only be entrusted to the most elite soldiers. Of course his life had meaning!

"_Pft_! Of course _my_ life has meaning!" Zim said with a pompous-ass attitude as he looked up at the ceiling and swatted away the question like it was a fly. Gaz look a little offense to this and furrowed her eyebrows. Zim was always so full of himself. Sometimes, though, it just seemed like an act. Gaz thought that maybe he acted this way because, _really,_ he was insecure.

"And what would happen if you _weren't_ an invader, Zim? Would you're life still have meaning, THEN?" Gaz asked, calling him out on his false confidence. Zim's eyes shot open. He had forgotten that Gaz was one of the only people who was seen him out of his disguise. Then something suddenly occurred to Zim, causing him to completely forget Gaz's question and changing the subject.

"If you know that I'm an alien, then why don't you ever try to expose me to the world like your annoying sibling-unit?" Zim questioned. Gaz noticed that he was avoiding her question, but decided to just go with it.

"Because I'm not like my brother, and I have more important things to do." responded Gaz. Zim looked insulted.

"'_More Important_?' What can be more important than your precious earth being taken over by a superior species? Huh?" Zim interrogated. Gaz rolled her eyes, Zim gave himself too much credit.

"'Precious_ Earth_?' Come _on_! Earth isn't THAT great. And 'Taken over by superior species?' Zim, you're plans are so predictable and stupid, that I can foresee what your next plan with be before your fist one even falls through yet. So, yeah, I think I would rather play my gameslave than get sucked into all of that drama." Gaz responded. Zim was speechless, his eyes wide and his jaw-dropped. The Gaz-human had just called him out and insulted him that he didn't know how to even respond. He could only stutter a little bit before Gaz picked her game back up and continued playing. Zim crossed his arms and looked in the other direction, obviously pouting. A few minutes passed before Zim got over himself, and he went right back to bothering Gaz.

"So, are inside the pork castle yet?" He asked, leaning towards Gaz with his eyes on the screen. Gaz sighed, realizing her few minutes of peace and quiet were up.

"_No_." She said, slightly annoyed. "I have to get past the ghost piggies first." Zim watched with interest as he witnessed Gaz slice through dozens of Piggies at once. As the game went on, his interest in the game turns into Awe. He was no becoming more involved into the game, cheering on Gaz, complimenting her combo hits, and telling her to "watch out!" Finally, they made it to the final level. Zim's cheering got louder and more enthusiastic as he saw the Giant Vampire Piggy. It was a bloody battle, but eventually, Gaz one. And with that, Zim jumped up in the air.

"YES! THE VAMPIRE PIGGY HAS BEEN SLAIN! No one stands a chance against US!" Zim shouted to the world, and then began to laugh evilly and manically. But Zim lost his balance and fell to the floor, landing on his back. He grunted in pain. Gaz felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. She snickered as she allowed the smile to spread across her face. Zim noticed this and smiled himself. He quickly jumped up to his feet again.

"He he . . . I meant to do that." He said obviously embarrassed.

"Sure you did." Gaz said with a grin. There was a long silence. Not necessarily an awkward silence this time. It was more of a nothing-needs-to-be-said kind of silence.

"Fwew, that was fun. So now what do we do?" Zim asked.

"I don't know. Normally whenever I beat a game, I go down to the arcade until I get a new one." Informed Gaz. Zim smiled hopefully.

"Then let us be on our way!" declared Zim, who began marching towards the door. Gir, who had consumed 4 lamps already, followed behind his master. But they were stopped by Gaz's words.

"But the arcade is closed." She bluntly finished. Zim looked a little disappointed.

"You know, we've been playing Vampire Piggy Hunter for about 3 and a half hours . . . I'm kind of tired." Gaz said, hoping Zim would take the hint that she wanted to be alone eat her dinner before going to bed. Thankfully he did.

"Yes, well, I think it's best if I take my leave . . . Thanks for having me over." He said the last 5 words awkwardly. They didn't feel right in his mouth. Gaz raised an eyebrow, not expecting that.

" . . . You're Welcome." She said awkwardly as well. Those words didn't feel right in her mouth either. "But, didn't you come over to destroy Dib, or something?" Zim's eyes opened. He had forgotten all about Dib.

"Oh, right, that. Well, I have decided to post-pone my revenge until tomorrow, so that I may ruin his _whole day_." Zim said, hoping Gaz would buy the excuse. She just walked to the kitchen.

"Whatever." She said, grabbing some cold, left-over pizza.

"So . . . Bye!" Zim waved as he walked out the door, pulling Gir behind him. When they were about halfway home, Zim could her Gir's muffled voice. He stopped and let Gir stand up to Finish what he was saying.

"What?" Zim asked.

"That scary girl had pizza! Can we go back tomorrow and see if she still has some!" Gir pleaded.

"I don't think that's a good idea—" Zim was cut off by Gir's screaming tantrum. He put his hands over where his ears should be then yelled out.

"ALRIGHT GIR! WE CAN GO BACK OVER TOMORROW! JUST STOP SCREAMING!" Zim ordered.

"Yay!" said Gir cheerfully. Zim just rubbed his temples and began walking again.

**

* * *

**

Mean while, on planet Shreecron . . .

Tak had finally fixed her communication system using some of Jeffery's and Glen's resources. She called the Tallest, who were watching a puppet show before the realized they had a call coming in.

"Hello, my Tallest!" Tak exclaimed. The Tallest looked slightly surprised.

"Tak? We haven't heard from you in three years! Where have you been?" asked Red.

"A thousand apologies, my leaders. I have just crash-landed on this strange planet, and I require a tow vehicle to come assist me." Tak requested. The Tallest looked at each other for a little while, then back at Tak.

"Actually, Tak, there are a few matters we need to discuss." said Red in a serious tone. Purple nodded with agreement. Tak looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We're talking about your failure to take over Earth and get rid of Zim!" Purple said in an irritated voice. Tak swallowed. She found herself trembling, as humiliation and fear swept over her.

"Yes, well, that didn't really go as planned—" she was cut off.

"Well, obviously! You just now landed on a random planet after three years! Zim called us and told us how he stopped you!" Red exclaimed. Tak felt a lump in her throat.

" . . . Umm, I—" Tak stuttered but was again cut off.

"ZIM was able to stop YOU! Do you realize how _embarrassing_ that is?" said Purple, rubbing it in.

"We are very disappointed in you, Tak. This should have been an easy mission, but it just didn't pull through, I'm afraid. And you have no one to blame for it but yourself." explained Red. Tak didn't like where this was going.

"Please, my Tallest, let me explain!" Tak pleaded.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that." said Purple.

"Your failure will not be tolerated; you must be punished." warned Red. Tak began to feel scared. What would her punishment be? Cleaning up another one of Zim's messes? Execution? Torture? Her trembling grew stronger. Why did she have to call the Tallest right away? Crap! Purple suddenly made an "Ooo I know!" sound. He whispered in Red's ear hole.

"Oh that's perfect!" Red said with a smile in his voice. Purple was trying not to laugh. Tak rubbed her hands together to keep them from shaking. Worry spread across her face. Red cleared his throat, trying to get serious.

"Ahem. Tak, as punishment for your incapability to follow through with a single, easy mission," Red announced, insulting Tak in the process. "You are hereby banished." Tak winced as he said that last word. _Banished_. How horrible to be rejected by her own people. _Well, at least it's better than execution_, Tak thought.

"To planet . . . EARTH!" Added Purple, unable to contain himself any longer, he began to laugh at Tak's misfortune. Red joined in as well. Tak gasped as her eyes widened and horror spread across her face. Earth? No. NO! Anywhere but there!

"Please, my Tall—" For the third time, she was cut off.

"Do not argue with us, Tak. Please, keep the little dignity you have left and just accept your punishment. You know you deserve it!" scolded Red.

"You will live out the remaining years on this planet. You will be stripped of all Irken technology, except you're cloaking device and your SIR unit. And you're lucky we're letting you keep those." Informed Purple in a serious tone.

"Do you understand what you've just been told?" asked Red, with his eyes narrowed. Purple squinted one eye and leaned in closer. Tak looked at the two of them with pleading eyes. But they wouldn't budge. She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Yes." she humbly said, feeling utterly defeated.

"Good." said Purple. Red hovered over to a control board and began to fiddle with stuff.

"We will send a cab to come and pick you up. From there you will be flown straight to Earth and dropped off at you're old base." Red informed. This was a nightmare. After 3 years of floating in space, the moment she lands on solid ground again, she was going to be catapulted back to the hell that she came from. She will wonder aimlessly around every day, with the constant reminder of her failure that ruined her life. And worst of all, that was the planet _Zim_ was on. Oh how Tak _despised _that creature.

"Good bye forever and good luck with your new, doomed life!" Purple said, than cut the transmission.

Tak just stared at the blanks screen, still in shock after what had just happened. Then she slumped to the ground, landing on her knees. She stared at the ground with a dazed expression on her face. Why was it that every time Tak seemed so close to getting what she wanted, someone would rip it away from her and ruin her life? Maybe Tak was a doomed soul, forced to a life of pain and suffering.

Mimi came over and patted her on the back, sensing her master's distress. Tak smiled weakly.

At least she would always have Mimi.

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**So, what did you think? did you love it? hate it? please tell me! i wanna know! next chapter up soon.**


	3. Tak's horrible life of pain

**A/N: Wow, I can't believe I finished this chapter already. Well, I just want to thank everyone who has read and I greatly appreciate your views. **

**avatar2012****, ****blueflower1594****, and ****pokekinz0520****: **

**thanks for the positive comments! I will be sure to keep it up and I have every intention of finishing this story. Thanks for your support! Enjoy!**

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_The lesson here is that dreams_

_inevitably lead to hideous implosions!_

_-Ms. Bitters_

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Dib slowly got up and limped over to the bathroom. His whole body was still sore from the day before with burns. If he had stayed under the hot water much longer, he would have been boiled alive. Dib supposed he owed Gaz a thank you for waking him up, but the bruise on his cheek told him to wait. It would probably be best if he stayed home today, but he had to go to skool. There was a big English test today, and Dib needed to find out what the purpose of the device he found in Zim's PAK was. It was a good thing he didn't drop it while running. On the other hand, everybody would be laughing at him today (he doubt they would forget the whole "kiss" thing so easily), and he would most likely get in trouble for ditching the remainder of the skool day yesterday. Not to mention his aching skin was constantly hurting with every movement he made. When Dib finally reached the sink, he splashed water on his face, which sent out a cool relief on his red features. He looked in the mirror and contemplated on the two choices at hand. After a few minutes, he walked back to his room, deciding to skip skool that day. He just wasn't in the mood.

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Zim's house

Zim, however, was in a rather good mood, looking forward to ruining Dib's day at skool. (Little did he know Dib was skipping toady.) Zim looked in the mirror, proud of his appearance. Since first landing on Earth, Zim had grown a full three inches (which he was very proud of). However The Dib had grown six inches since the fifth grade, but Zim tried not to think about that. He marched out the door, humming to himself.

* * *

As Zim walked to skool, he intentionally took a detour so that he would cross paths with Dib. However, once he had Dib's sister in sight, he looked around, but there was no sign of Dib. Zim felt irritated and approached Gaz.

"Hey! Where's Dib?" Zim questioned. Gaz was walking by herself with her hands in her pocket. For once she wasn't playing her gameslave, Zim noticed.

"He's staying home today." Gaz said while walking past Zim, not even making eye contact. Zim growled.

"Grrr . . . and I had this whole day planned out so perfectly!" Zim kicked a nearby pine cone out of frustration and crossed his arms. The pine cone, however, hit Gaz in the back of the leg. She froze, and slowly turned around, irritation plastered on her face.

"Hey! Watch where you're kicking things!" Gaz yelled. Zim opened his eye and realized he had accidently hit Gaz with the pinecone.

"Oh, Oops . . . I never intended to—" Zim was cut off.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Gaz waved away his apology and began walking. Zim started to follow behind her. He quickly caught up.

"So why is Dib staying home today?" He asked.

"He has 2nd degree burns." She replied. Zim raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask.

"Look, I really don't want to talk about Dib." Gaz said, in hopes that Zim would take the hint and leave. He didn't.

"Then what do you want to talk about?" He asked instead. Gaz rolled her eyes, Zim reacted differently than she expected.

"I don't know . . ." Gaz said in an awkward tone. Zim placed his hand on his chin in a thinking pose and began to look around.

"Hmmm . . ." He began. "Well, what do you like to do, besides play your piggy-slaying games?" Zim asked. He didn't know why, but he was curious in what Gaz liked to do. She was a smart person, so if she like something, Zim could trust that it was worth looking into.

"Eat Bloaty's Pizza," Gaz began. Zim held back a gag, recalling visiting that horrible place while chasing after Dib. He also remembered how Gir sloppily ingested the greasy food. Okay, maybe he was wrong . . .

"and rain misery down upon Dib and people who annoy me." Gaz finished. Zim perked back up. He liked the sound of that. An evil grin spread across his face.

"Really? That sounds like fun!" Zim pointed out, having found a new appreciation for this earth female.

"What methods do you use in this . . . _misery storm_?" Zim asked, hoping to exchange torture ideas. But instead, Gaz stopped and looked up at him and placed her hands on her hips.

"Why are you asking all of these questions about me? Don't you have anything better to do?" Gaz questioned. Zim felt a little hurt, and slightly insulted. He narrowed his eyes.

"That's none of your business, Gaz-human. I was merely curious about how humans react to different styles of torture! You should feel honored that you have peeked my interest!" Zim snapped. Gaz glared at him, and then thought about what he had just said. She peeked his interest? What was that supposed to mean? Gaz crossed her arms.

"I peeked your interest?" Gaz questioned. Zim looked around, starting to feel weird and less and superior now that he admitted to being curious about a human.

"What's so interesting about me?" Gaz pressed.

"Nothing! Well . . ." Zim could recall the time when Dib came to him asking for his help to cure his sister of some cursed he had placed on her. Zim of coursed laughed at his foolish attempt to try and sway him, but did find it odd that Dib seemed to fear Gaz more than an alien invader. In fact, a lot of people at skool were afraid of Gaz.

"Why is it that your fellow humans fear you?" Zim asked. Gaz sighed, realizing that again, Zim had changed the subject.

"Because, they know if they irritate or anger me, then they will invoke my horrible wrath." Gaz said with pride in her words. Zim seemed confused. He still didn't understand why _her_ wrath should be feared more than his own. Though Zim would never admit it, sometimes he did feel intimidated by Gaz. And this little fact made him jealous; she could strike fear into his _own_ self. And as evidence by their recent conversation, Zim doubted that Gaz felt the same way towards him.

Gaz looked at Zim's confused expression. In all the years of knowing him, he was one of the only people who had never witnessed one of her horrible, dark tantrums. She remembered the time where he lied and said that Dib had taken her Gameslave. Once she found out that it was really Zim all along, she chased after him, but he got away by jumping into a nearby lake (which Gaz could imagine was very painful on his part). Or there was the time he grabbed her and used her as a shield against the rain. Once he put her down, she was going to beat him up, but Dib came over and splashed the two of them, interrupting her train of thought. Come to think of it, Gaz let Zim off the hook _many_ times. She wondered why . . .

Zim and Gaz just looked at each other a while, trying to figure each other out. After a few minutes, Gaz started to get creeped-out by the silence, and spoke up.

"So how far are you in your conquest for world domination?" Gaz asked, but immediately regretted it. She already knew the answer, and making Zim say it himself, would probably sound extremely pathetic. Besides, Gaz didn't want to make him feel bad.

"Oh . . . I'm . . . almost there." He said with a fake smile and a shakey thumb up. Gaz returned a "hey, good for you" smile back, feeling bad for making Zim feel this way. After all, from the moment he got here in the 5th grade to presently in 8th grade, Zim had literally accomplished nothing. The pathetic silence Gaz has caused made her feel guilty, so she decided to throw Zim a bone.

"Wow, how tall are you Zim?" asked Gaz in a somewhat interested tone. She knew this was one of Zim's favorite topics. Zim perked up a little, a smile growing on his face.

"Five foot, two!" answered Zim in a cocky tone. Gaz smiled, knowing that her compliment balanced out her previous insult. Zim looked as if he was going to say more, but noticed that they had made it to skool. He looked back at Gaz.

"Well, this was an _interesting_ conversation." pointed out Zim.

"Yeah, well . . . maybe we could do it again sometime." Gaz offered. Gaz wondered if Zim ever actually talked to people about stuff. Gaz certainly knew that she didn't, she liked being by herself. But until her new game comes in the mail, she would have to find _something_ to occupy her time with. And she would rather talk with Zim than listen to her rambling brother like she usually does when waiting on games to arrive.

Zim thought about the offer like it was a serious question. Talking with Gaz on a regular basis might prove to be useful. He might be able to use her to his advantage.

"Very well." he finally said. Just then, the bell rang letting the students know they needed to get to first period.

"Well, see ya later." said Gaz as she walked to her homeroom. Zim watched her walk inside.

There was something about that human that Zim just couldn't put his claw on . . .

**

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Back on Planet Shreecron . . .

Tak sat on a strange rock with Mimi at her side. Tak looked down at her, recalling the time when they first met. She had discovered Mimi while cleaning up Operation Impending Doom One (In which Zim had single-handedly _ruined_). The broken SIR unit was missing her right arm, so using her _incredible_ inventing skills, she fixed it with scrap-metal lying around. Tak thought that the arm was even better than before; it was stronger than her left arm. And it was because of her accomplishment with Mimi, that she had been inspired to build her own ship, where she later escaped. She pet Mimi on the head. Mimi was her only friend; someone who had unquestionable loyalty towards Tak. After all, Mimi owed Tak her life.

Tak could hear Jeffery and Glen arguing about something off in the distance. They were starting to get on her nerves. Tak was careful to stay close by her escape pod; it was sending out a signal that the cab driver would be able to find. Tak had half a mind to run away while she still had the chance. But it was too late, she had already called the Tallest so they knew she was alive. If she ran away now, she would be considered a wanted outlaw. Besides, she had no ship, and nowhere to go. They would easily find her on foot. So Tak sat there hopelessly, awaiting her undeserved doom. What else could she do?

She suddenly saw a flicker of light enter the atmosphere. It slowly began to grow and Tak started to gather her things as she knew this was her ride.

The Yellow Cab pulled up right next to the rock. Tak reached up to her forehead, and felt the cable she had placed there. She had invented this little device herself back before she decided to become an invader; it was what allowed her to use mind-control on people. Unfortunately, it needed some fixing, seeing as how it only worked on stupid people. None the less, she couldn't bare to have it taken away from her. She gritted her teeth and yanked it out of her head, grimacing in pain and quickly handed it to Mimi, who hid it in her head. As blood began to trickle down her face, the cab driver got out and asked what had happened and if she was alright.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine; I just tripped over these cursed rocks and hit my head." She lied, clutching her wound, attempting to slow the bleeding.

"Well, alright then, I've been told that you are not allowed to have any advanced Irken technology besides—" He was cut off.

"Besides my cloaking device and my SIR unit, I know!" Tak said with an attitude as she got in the cab. The cab driver was still outside scanning her things. Some he put in the trunk, others he left in a pile. While he was doing this, Mimi handed Tak a special medical strip for her two head wounds. Tak graciously took them and placed them as such, then began to wipe away her dark blue blood. There was a flash outside and she looked to see the cab driver vaporizing her technology he had. Then he stepped in the car and they were on their way.

**

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Tak's old base on Earth . . .

Tak watched as the Cab left. She turned around and saw what used to be the Deelishus Weenie stand, but now just looked like an old warehouse. Someone must have been here and hollowed it out, stripping it of all the technology that once lived here. The cab driver said that she was enrolled in 8th grade skool classes, that her story is that she moved away to Iceland for 3 years and now she's moved back because her dad retired early (even though her decoy dad had been hauled away, so if she ever needed to prove it, she would be screwed). Tak sighed as she looked at her surroundings. She then closed her eyes and lowered her head feeling the lingering humiliation of her banishment. She felt something tugging at her clothes. She opened her eyes and directed her attention towards Mimi. She pulled out the cable and handed over to Tak. Tak took it.

"Thank you Mimi." she said softly. Tak removed her bandages and looked in Mimi's head where she could see her reflection. The bleeding had stopped, but it was still sore. Tak carefully inserted the placement needles back into her skull. She couldn't contain herself and she cried out in pain. After a few minutes of suspensing agony, she had it securely back in her head. Tak wished she could repair it so she can control smarter people, but she didn't have the technology to do so. Tak looked around, again, and flipped on her human disguise hologram, deciding to take a walk.

"Let's see what I've missed in the time I've been gone . . ."

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A/N: So there it is, chapter three. Yeah, I could have written a little more about that following skool day, but I'll save it for next chapter . . . which will be up soon! Tell me what you think. Suggestions, Opinions, I wanna know! Thanks for reading!


	4. Gaz's first real friend

**A/N: This chapter kinda took longer than I expected. Thanks again to people who read and reviewed :****avatar2012****, ****blueflower1594****, and ****invaderjanie****. Yeah, I'm sorry my grammer is kinda bad. I proof read this so many times, but always end up missing a few things. I'm getting better though. Thanks for the suggestions, and Enjoy!**

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_I have a squeedly spooch!_

_-Gaz_

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As Zim received his disgusting _filth_ on a tray, he could hear snickering and whispers as he continued down the lunch line. It wasn't as bad as this morning though; people actually came up to him and asked how long he and Dib had been together! Zim got very defensive and angry. Finally, in third period, he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped up on his desk and threatened the whole class, denying their false accusations that they were together (which resulted in a trip down to the discipline office, where they confronted him about walking out on skool the day before. They said he'd have detention on Friday). But the children still weren't convinced.

After the lunch lady poured the rest of the gruel on his plate, Zim noticed Gaz sitting by herself in the corner. Dib usually sat next to her and would be glaring at Zim right now if he was here. But because he was not, and because Gaz suggested they talk more, Zim started heading in her direction.

Gaz looked up and saw Zim approaching her table, holding his lunch in his hands. Gaz wondered why he even got a lunch; he always just threw it away. Zim sat down in front of her.

"Hello." He said with a smile on his face. Gaz looked at him blankly.

"Hi." She said with no sign of emotion in her voice.

"So how was your day so far?" Zim asked, not being able to think of anything else to say.

_Again with the questions_ Gaz thought, but she was starting to get used to them. She rolled a pea around with her fork, wondering why she had got lunch herself. She wasn't even hungry.

"Fine, I guess." Gaz responded, not taking her eye off her plate. She directed her eyes towards Zim, but kept her head facing down. "Yours?" She asked back.

"Irritating" He said bluntly. "These little worm babies don't know when to keep their mouths shut! If they don't stop bothering me with their idiotic and irrelevant assumptions, then they will feel the wrath of ZIM!" Zim warned. Gaz could relate. She hated it when people bothered her. When they did, she usually sent them into a painful hell in which there was no awakening. But people don't bother her that much anymore; they knew better.

"Calm down, Zim. You made your point to them, and they'll shut up in a couple of days." Gaz said, attempting to calm Zim down. Zim seemed to relax a little. He found himself slowly starting to trust Gaz more and more. Zim propped his head up with his hand, and his gaze fell onto Gaz's necklace.

"You still wear that thing?" he asked. Gaz fingered the white skull pendant.

"Yes, I've had it for 5 years now. I remember when I first got it in the third grade; my teacher wouldn't let me wear it. She said it was too 'graphic' and was inappropriate for skool. But every now and then, I would pull it out and wear it when she wasn't looking." said Gaz. Zim looked at her in a questioning manner.

"But if your teacher told you 'no', why did you put it back on?" Zim wondered. Gaz raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was serious.

"Why? Because I felt like it, and I do whatever I want! I don't care what some stupid third-grade teacher thinks about my necklace; _I_ like it and that's all that matters. Besides, it was fun to piss her off." Gaz started to say with anger, but ended her reasoning with a grin. "Don't you ever do anything rebellious Zim? Or are you just like everybody else?" Gaz called him out. But once again, Zim avoided the question.

"Is that why you dress that way and wear that necklace? You wish to rebel?" Zim asked. Gaz just sighed.

"I guess." she said, not caring to go into detail about how rebellious she is. "I really just like the way it looks."

"All, scary and dark? You like to look different from other humans don't you?" Zim asked. Gaz let a single laugh escape her lips. He had no idea just how _scary and dark_ she can _really_ be.

"I don't do it on purpose, Zim. I'm just naturally different. I don't see it as a bad thing do you?" Gaz asked. Zim thought about it. Maybe it wasn't so great to just fit in with the crowd. He never liked doing so. Zim always wanted to stand out and prove just how much superior and different he was than everyone else in his race.

"No, that's not a bad thing at all." Zim finally answered. After a few moments of silence, Gaz went back to playing with her food. Zim continued to study her. A few minutes later, Gaz finally looked up.

"What?" she asked, feeling a little creeped-out. Zim leaned in a little closer, his eyes starting to lock with Gaz's.

"You're superior to the other humans. You are much smarter, and eviler than the rest of them . . . you really get it. You and I aren't so different. I could almost consider you my equal." Zim admitted to Gaz. Gaz, of course already knew she was superior to the other humans, she just didn't go around bragging about it like Zim did. And "equal" to Zim? Please! She was _far_ superior to _him_ as well! But still, Gaz decided to take this as a compliment. It was probably the nicest thing Zim would ever say about her. And the fact that he could swallow his pride long enough to admit it, was impressive to Gaz.

"Thanks." she said with the right corner of her mouth slightly curved. Zim felt good to know that he could make Gaz smile, seeing as how she didn't smile that much. Zim suddenly remembered his promise to Gir the night before.

"So, what are you doing this afternoon?" Zim asked. Gaz looked back down at her food, building a mash potato volcano. She only shrugged.

"Why don't we go to the . . . _arcade_, place you speak of. I wish to learn more about it . . . and I trust you are an expert." Zim questioned with one eye squinted. Gaz perked up a little at the word arcade. She looked at Zim. Was he just using her to learn more about Earth, or did he genuinely want to spend time with her? Granted, how would learning about an arcade prove to be beneficial to world conquest? But then again, this was Zim we were talking about, and he has been known to do things without thinking them through. So Gaz decided that this mentally internal argument was completely irrelevant. She breathed out. What did she have to lose?

"Alright, but make sure you bring lots of quarters!"

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Later at the arcade . . .

Zim and Gaz were playing Vampire Piggy Slayer on two-player. Zim, however, was almost out of quarters (he had asked Gir to go find him some, and Gir brought back 3 parking meters). They had been here since 4:30 and it was now almost closing time. Gaz had shown him how to play; he was horrible at it at first, making up excuses of why he was messing up; but slowly he got the hang of it. They found themselves laughing manically together as they slaughtered the vampire piggies. Zim had decided to take a few detours just so he can kill a few random animals that had nothing to do with the game. Gaz was a little annoyed at this in the beginning, because it was slowing her down and was completely pointless, but she soon found herself doing the same thing. It _was_ pretty fun. Suddenly, a security guard came up and tapped them on the shoulders. Gaz slowly turned around, irritated that he had interrupted their killing spree. Zim, however, jumped and cried out, obviously scared to death.

"You guys have been playing this game all day! We're getting ready to close, so you need to leave now!" scolded the security guard. Gaz got in his face as she growled at the nosey man. Zim recovered from his dramatic episode, and noticed the conflict at hand.

"You dare tell ME what to do? I AM ZIM! And you have no power over us _security drone_! Now, leave us before you evoke our MIGHTY WRATHS!" Zim threatened, getting in his face as well. The security guard took offense to this and gritted his teeth.

"That's it!" he declared and he grabbed the two of them by their shirts. Zim began to squirm and grunt relentlessly as he tried to break free of the iron grip. Gaz began to quiver with anger; her eyes shot open and looked as if they would pop out of her head.

"I'm warning you: if you value your life, then you will put us down IMMEDIATELY!" Gaz threatened with a deadly tone on the edge of her words.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever; I'm not afraid of you Goth kids!" retorted the security guard. Zim stopped squirming, wondering what "Goth kids" meant. Gaz, however, seemed to turn into a hellish, demon-like monster by which the likes Zim had never seen. Gaz's head slowly and dementedly turn all the way around to face the guard, a twisted, hatred-filled look on her face. She was trembling with anger. Her very words seemed to echo.

"Goth? No, I am something that has yet to be defined." Gaz said as horror filled the security guard's body. An unearthly force propelled him and Zim as well, flying across the room. The guard hit the wall, dropping Zim to the ground. A wind-storm seemed to engulf the room as loose papers and light objects circled around Gaz; the games started to shake. Zim looked up at Gaz, so wide-eyed, his lenses almost popped out. So this was one of her legendary fits? Zim looked at her with awe plastered on his face, though still fearing for his life. Gaz's pupils disappeared, and a purple laser beam shown down out of nowhere. She began to ascend into the air.

"I am the definition of pain and suffering. I am the Queen of Misery and the Mistress of Darkness! You see me when your dreams begin to spiral into nightmares. You DO fear me!" Gaz echoed in a most un-holy voice. The security guard was now cowering in fear, in the feeto-position . . .crying. The winds grew stronger and Zim struggled to find something to hold onto, and grasped his wig in fear it would fly away.

"I'm sorry, I'M SORRY!" cried the security guard. "You can stay as late as you want. Just please, HAVE MERCY!" The guard began to whimper. Flashes of lightning appeared from the ceiling. It crackled in a few random places in the air at first, but eventually struck the security guard, lighting him on fire. Zim instantly gasped as this was a common reaction to loud flashes and scary situations. The security guard ran all around the room, crying in pain. He finally stop, dropped, and rolled. The winds began to die down and Gaz hovered lower to the ground until she was back on her feet. The purple light disappeared and Gaz walked over to the charred guard. He began to shake with fear. Suddenly, Gaz's pupils returned.

"Thanks." She said with an evil grin. She then walked over to Zim, who was still on the floor in shock, just staring at Gaz, mouth wide open.

"Lets go." she said as she grabbed Zim's hand dragging him out the door. Not once did she slow down, or take her eye off the door. Zim stared at the arcade, now in ruins. The security guard has seemed to have soiled himself. After they were outside, Gaz stopped and helped Zim up. He brushed himself off, and then caught up with Gaz.

"That was AMAZING!" he exclaimed. Gaz kept her gaze ahead of her, her hands in her pocket. She acted as if nothing had ever happened.

"Yeah, well, he had it coming to him. He's been giving me crap for years." Gaz informed.

"That was better than watching you kill possessed piggies on your slave-game! Is that why everybody fears you? How are you able to _do_ that?" Zim asked all at once, so overly excited that he could hardly control himself. But this time, it was Gaz who avoided the question. She chuckled.

"Yes, that's why everybody fears me. You finally got to witness one of my legendary blow-ups. Count yourself lucky you were only a spectator and not the one being punished." Gaz confirmed. Zim looked at Gaz for a while, his hand on his chin. If he could harness her dark energy, then nothing would stand in his way of bringing the downfall of the human race. Come to think of it, Zim hadn't thought of an evil plan in a long time. He decided he needs to learn more about Gaz and try to earn her trust. This could be his big break.

There was a rumbling sound coming from Gaz's stomach. She clutched her belly and grumbled. Zim remembered what Gaz had said earlier and reached into his pocket. He had a sufficient amount of money left, and saw a "Bloaty's Pizza Hog" on the corner.

"You hungry?" He asked. Gaz looked down.

"I don't have any money left." she stated. Zim felt a smile on his face.

"That's okay, I'm buying." He generously offered. Gaz looked up at him. Never had anyone, other than her father, offer to pay Gaz's meal. But, wasn't Zim allergic to human food? Not to mention that last time he went inside Bloaty's was a big disaster.

"Are you sure?" Gaz asked. Zim raised an eyebrow, the smile remaining on his face.

"Of course I'm sure!" He said. Gaz let a small grin appear on her face. She began to smell the yummy cheese and could hardly wait.

"Okay. Let's go!" She exclaimed. She grabbed Zim by the hand and practically dragged him behind her. As they got closer to the restaurant, she could hear Zim's faint gagging.

* * *

They took their seats and Gaz began to consume the pizza. The sound of screaming children were everywhere. Zim could hardly tolerate it. Why was he here again? Why was he wasting his time with this human? And why was he just now realizing it? He looked at Gaz eating the pizza he had bought for her. Oh right, that's why. Because it was Gaz. Gaz was special, and deserved to be treated as such. Besides, having her as a . . . _friend_ . . . might be useful later on. So Zim did his best to control himself as he waited for Gaz to finish.

Gaz took a sip of her soda that Zim had bought for her. _Just for her_. He didn't have a single bite of the pizza or a single gulp of the soda. Gaz had no idea he could be this nice. So why now? Why her? Did he have a sudden change of heart, or had he always been this way? Gaz couldn't be sure. She set her pizza down and asked Zim a question she had been dying to ask all night.

"Zim, why are you being so nice to me?" Gaz asked. Zim looked confused.

"You don't like Zim's new attitude?" Zim questioned.

"No, it's not that, you just seem . . . different is all." Gaz said.

"So do you." Said Zim.

"I never knew how fun you are to hang out with." Gaz said.

"Me neither. We should hang out every day!" Zim suggested, feeling very smart.

"You mean, like, friends?" Gaz asked.

"Only if you want to be." Zim thought about the offer. She had never had a friend before, and she doubt Zim a a TRUE friend either. Maybe it could do them both some good.

"Alright" Gaz agreed as she extended out her hand. Zim smiled and shook it.

This was going to be the start of the a new beginning.

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A/N: yeah, sorry; no Dib or Tak in this one. But they will be in the next one (coming soon). This was just about Zim and Gaz's relationship blossoming. Hope you liked. Things will start to get serious later on (by this I mean the plot AND their relationship in case you are wondering). Please don't be afraid to comment. Thanks for reading!


	5. A familiar face

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I just had SO MUCH HOMEWORK and we had a very depressing assembly yesterday. Luckily, today was a halfday. But I am having a little bit of writers block. If you wann suggest a few things you would like to see, I would take each of them into consideration. Anyways**

**Thank you to: ****avatar2012****, ****nightmaster000****, ****GunGreg89****, and ****invaderjanie**** for your comments!**

**Yeah, I've noticed that I kinda rushed through a few of my chapters and didn't write down that many descriptive details. I'll get better, as I have planned to be more descriptive in the "Action" scenes to come. Anyways, here's chapter 5:**

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_

Oh, you poor, doomed child.

_-Ms. Bitters_

* * *

"I need Dibbers Membrane to come to the front office, please. Dib Membrane to the front office" the intercom announced. Teasing "Ooooo's" filled the room as Dib sighed and approached the door. He shot Zim a glare before leaving the room. Zim returned it. They had a surprising amount of classes together this year; giving Dib more chances to spy on him.

Dib walked down the hall, pondering the last few days. He was still sore from the burns, but not as bad as yesterday. Whenever he could gather up his strength, Dib would climb out of bed and run a few tests on the thing he stole from Zim. Dib wasn't quite sure what it was. It resembled a claw like mechanism, but it was too soon to tell. He could see the office in the distance, swallowing in attempt to drown his nerves. He knew they were going to confront him about walking out at skool, and most likely question why he wasn't here yesterday (at least he had a good excuse for that). He put his hand on the door knob and turned it, opening the door to his doom. He signed in and was called back down a hallway after five minutes of waiting. Dib sat down on a squeaky, uncomfortable chair and looked around the small, dark room.

"So, do you know why you're here?" said, what Dib presumed was, a man with his chair facing the window behind him. "Well, DO YOU?" he yelled as he sharply turned around and yelled in Dib's face. Dib flinched.

"I, I think." He said in a nervous voice.

"You _think_? You mean you're not CERTAIN that you ditched skool and then skipped it _entirely _YESTERDAY?" The dean screamed. Dib curled up in his seat. "DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" bellowed the Dean. Dib just quivered.

"I'm sorry!" he yelled. "But, yesterday, I had bad burns all over my body." Dib rolled up his sleeves to reveal red, raw skin, and a few boils here and there. "See?" he said.

"Hmmmmm . . . then I suppose I can expel you . . ." the Dean said scratching his chin. Dib relaxed slightly. "But, I CAN give you detention on Friday!" grinned the Dean. Dib swallowed. The dean began to nod. "Yup! Detention it is!" he declared, slamming his hand on the desk. "NEXT!" he yelled out, summoning his next victim. Dib got up and quickly walked out the door. He breathed a sigh of relief once in the hallway. He began to walk down to receive his pass to class. Dib reached the end and was about to turn to the front desk when something caught his eye. Dib looked up and gasped, recognizing the girl sitting down in the waiting area. She was looking at the clock with a blank expression on her face. Dib rubbed his eyes and cleaned his glasses. But the girl didn't go away; he wasn't hallucinating.

"Tak?" he questioned aloud, confusion and a hint of fear in his voice. The girl turned her head and a mischievous smile appeared on her pale face.

"Hello Dib." She greeted. Dib took a few uncertain steps forward, his wide eyes glued to her.

"Wha- What are you doing here?" Dib asked.

"Oh, I see you know each other." said the principal, sipping his coffee. "Tak's a new student here. I was just looking for someone to show her around. You wouldn't mind doing it, would you Dib?" Dib looked at the principal, then back at Tak with a grin on her face. She took pleasure in the fact that she had caused Dib this confusion. It was fun. It was also comforting to see a familiar face (whether it was her enemy or not). How ironic it would be if Dib showed her around, Tak noticed.

"That is, assuming you won't just up and leave." added the principal with a stern look on his face. Dib looked back and forth between them a few times, stuttering bits of words. "Great!" the principal said, a smile returning to his face. "Now, off you go." the principal pushed them out the door and closed it behind them. It was silent for a few moments, and then Dib's stare fell back on Tak.

"Why are you here? What are you planning?" Dib interrogated. Tak's cold grin had melted away into a soft, reassuring smile.

"I assure you, I'm not planning anything Dib." Tak said in a genuine tone. She took out a piece of paper and looked at it. "Now, can you tell me where room 34 is?"

"What do you mean you're not planning anything? Then why did you come back? HOW did you come back?" Dib asked dismissing Tak's previous question about her schedule.

"Uh uh uh!" Tak teased as she shoved the paper in his face. She smiled evilly. "You answer my question _first_!" Dib raised an eyebrow. He looked at the paper, then up a Tak.

"Seriously?" He wondered. Tak just crossed her arms, a serious look spreading across her face.

" . . . Ummmm . . . Ooookaaay . . ." Dib said as he cautiously took the paper from her hands. He began to slowly walk down the hall, looking over at Tak every now and then, suspicion on his face. Tak just walked next to him, her eyes straight ahead. There wasn't a trace of emotion on her face. As they turned down the hallway, Dib spoke up.

"So, if you aren't planning anything, then why are you here?" Dib asked, attempting to call her bluff. Tak looked away.

"I'm afraid that's classified information." she said.

"Hey!" Dib suddenly stopped walking. "That's not fair! I'm taking you to your class; you should be able to tell me why you're here! I mean, if you intend to kill, or enslave me or something, I deserve to know!" Tak turned around to look at him. Dib couldn't quite read her expression. It was different than any other expression that she had worn in the past.

"Look, I really cannot tell you, Dib. Just accept that." Tak said. Dib crossed his arms.

"Fine, than except the fact that I'm not moving until you tell me." Dib said, stubbornly looking at Tak. Tak narrowed her eyes and stomped forward, snatching the paper from Dib's hands.

"Fine! I don't need your help to find my class!" she stomped away. Dib felt a little defeated. He lowered his arms and started to walk back to his class. After taking a few steps, however, he heard a faint grunt. He turned around and saw Tak with frustration written all over her face. She looked down at the paper, then up at a door, growled, then moved on to another random door. She obviously didn't know where to go or what she was doing. Dib doubted that she would ask for his help now, being as proud as she is. He sighed and began to walk over to her. She'd be wondering around all day if he didn't help her. And Dib couldn't just leave her all by herself.

"Here." He placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, moving her eyes up and down his body, studying him. "It's this way." Dib gestured his head down the hall and began to walk. Tak, however, didn't move. She was still watching Dib. He stopped and turned to face her. "Well? Are you coming?" He asked. Tak looked around first, then caught up with Dib. Every now and then Dib would glance over at her. Sometimes she would glance back, others she would pretend like she didn't seem him look. Dib looked like he wanted to say something, but knew it would be futile. Tak couldn't help to feel a little guilty. After all, she couldn't blame Dib for asking. Silence filled the long minutes it took to get to their destination. Finally, Tak could see the room number and felt relieved that this awkward trip was at an end. They both stopped at the door. She turned to Dib, who had his hands in his pocket. He looked a little depressed. Not necessarily sad, per say, more exhausted than anything. Probably fed up with all this bull-crap with aliens.

"Well, here it is. Home-economics." He stated as-a-matter-of-factly, rolling on his heels, then on his toes, then back to normal. "Good luck." he said as he turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Tak said, extending out her hand. Dib turned, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah?" he said. Tak rubbed her arm and looked away.

"I- I want to tell you, but . . ." Tak trailed off. Dib took a step closer, interest returning to his face.

"But what?" he pressed.

". . . It's really embarrassing." Tak said. She really did want to tell him. Tell _someone_ at least, other than Mimi. Tak had no more allies, no more connections, and no more reasons to hate Earth. What did she have to lose?

"The Tallest, they . . . they banished me." Tak squeaked out, feeling as small as a mouse. Dib looked slightly shocked. Dib remembered that the Tallest were the Irken leaders.

"They _banished_ you? Why?" Dib asked. Tak met his eyes.

"Because! I failed at stealing Earth away from Zim." Tak explained. Dib squinted an eye, not completely buying it. He placed his hand on his chin.

"Oh, REALLY? And how do I know you're not lying?" Dib questioned. Tak rolled her eyes and walked towards the door.

"Look Dib, you can believe whatever you want to believe, but know this: I'm _not_ making it up!" Tak opened the door and shut it behind her, entering her 2nd period classroom. Dib turned around and headed back to his class.

Was Tak telling the truth? Maybe; she didn't seem like she was lying. Then again, how could he trust her? She was an alien, just like Zim. She wanted to take over Earth. But then again, that was three years ago. And she was different from Zim. She never really had that un-dying hatred towards humans like Zim does. Dib could recall back before he found out Tak was Irken. He used to admire her. _Finally! Someone who hates Zim just as much as he did,_ Dib would think. She was the first person (let alone first girl) to ever ask him about his paranormal hobbies and not ridicule or laugh at them. Looking back now, Dib wondered how much of the things she said were genuine, or just a ploy to pump Dib for information on Zim. Dib remembered the time when they sat on the fence at skool, talking about Dib's life and how stupid Zim was. Dib could faintly recall having a little . . . _crush_ . . . on her as well. He was going to give her a valentine meat-slab, before Zim had knocked him into the bushes. Though, at the sight of the steak, Tak looked a little nervous. Dib used to think that she was nervous because she didn't like him that way, but later found out that she was actually an alien allergic to meat (which wasn't much better).

Dib shook his head, clearing away the mushy memories. He had to focus on the problem at hand. He needed to find out the _real_ reason Tak was here, and not get caught up in old feelings. He was 14 now and was more mature than he was back when he was 11.

Dib decided that in order to find the truth, he might need to _investigate_.

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A/N: yeah, not that much happened in this one, but I'm getting tired and I'm getting writers block, so this will due for now. LOL, yeah Dib's full name is Dibbers. it's so cute, i had to put it in X3! Thanks for reading and I'd like to hear your reviews.


	6. After skool plans

**A/N: whoa, sorry this so long, I got pre-accupied with some stuff and had some writers block. I feel I kinda rushed through this chapter, so sorry. I meant to write more about Zim and Tak, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. So . . . yeah.**

**Thanks to: ****blueflower1594****, ****GunGreg89****, and ****avatar2012**** for commenting. Enjoy =]**

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_You can't escape by teleporter little-Gaz; I've cut the power. _

_Your pitiful escape-attempt is nothing but a pitiful failure. _

_Stupid, stinking, humans._

_-Zim_

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As Dib walked back in the classroom, Zim noticed something odd about him. He didn't shoot him a glare like he usually does upon return to class. But instead, Dib just walked back to his desk and stared out the window, deep in thought. What did the dean say to him? Zim pretended like he didn't care, but every now and then, he would look over to glare at Dib, who, out of the ordinary, didn't even look up. When the bell rang, Zim walked out the door, but stopped soon after and looked back, expecting Dib to taunt him about exposing him. But The Dib just walked passed him, his expression blank. Zim only shrugged.

"Maybe he has finally given up on exposing me . . . _excellent_." Zim said to himself, an evil grin on his face. Zim began to walk to his 3rd period, but was so caught up in his own self satisfaction, that he didn't notice the girl in front of him. He ran into her, knocking them both to the ground. Zim rubbed his head.

"Hey, watch where you're go—" Zim trailed off, recognizing the girl. She glared at him.

"Excuse me? You're the one that's not paying attention!" she scolded, attempting to gather all of the papers she dropped. Zim sighed.

"Sorry, Gaz. I didn't see you there." Zim apologized to his friend. She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." she plainly said. Zim stood up and extended his hand to help her up. She took it and rose to her feet, brushing herself off. She began playing her gameslave as she walked to her 3rd. _She must have gotten that game she's been waiting on_, Zim thought. Zim walked next to her.

"So where's your third period?" he asked.

"Building eight." Gaz replied. Zim took it upon himself to walk Gaz to her class, studying her every movement. As they exited the main building, they walked along the hot cement sidewalk, crowded with other children. The path cut and swerved around trees, bushes, and other vegetation. The constant chatter of the Teens and Tweens echoed in the background. Zim looked at Gaz, studying her. She had so much power lurking inside, yet she seemed to be very calm until provoked. So she had control over it. If only there was a way to study her closely. Zim suddenly thought of something. A plan began to form in his _brilliant_ mind.

"So, Gaz-human . . . how would you like the honor of visiting my residence this evening?" Zim asked, feeling strangely nervous. A thought entered his mind. _What if she says no? What if she just laughs at me? Oh, no. That would be humiliating! . . . Oh, please say yes._ Gaz paused her game, but didn't take her eye off of it.

Zim was . . . inviting her over? To his base? But he hates humans. He wants to destroy them. Why would he invite one over?

Zim swallowed, and began to sweat. _Please say yes._ He kept thinking. Wait. Why did he care so much? What did it matter if she didn't want to come over? Besides, he could always just kidnap her and run all sorts of experiments against her will. She's just a stupid Human! But . . . she wasn't stupid. He _wanted_ her to come over. Not just to study her . . . but to spend time with her. Zim didn't know why, but he felt the need to treat Gaz with respect.

Gaz thought about the offer. She was curious about his base. She had only been in it twice. Once while trying to find Dib. The other when helping Zim get rid of Tak (in which Zim had reluctantly left her alone there. He was so stupid. She could have done all sorts of things to sabotage him. But Gaz wouldn't do that. Maybe her brother, but not Gaz.) What she did see, she didn't think that much of at the time. But then again, she never really got to look around and explore.

Gaz looked at Zim, who had a worried expression on his face as he looked at Gaz. Suddenly, Zim ran into something. He stumbled back a few steps and looked up to see a building. Gaz took a step towards the door, but before she could put her hand on the handle, Zim had grabbed it, opening the door for her. Gaz looked at him up and down. Then slowly took a few steps inside. Zim watched her as she walked, then followed her in the building. A few moments later, they reached Gaz's classroom. She stopped and turned towards Zim. He looked around nervously, feeling a little awkward. _Calm down Zim, it's just a human. Just a stupid human, _he tried to tell himself. But it was no use, because Zim knew this wasn't true, no matter how many times he told it to himself. Gaz's right corner of her mouth curled up into what resembled a smile.

"Alright." She said with her eyes closed. She crossed her arms. "How does 7:00 sound?"

Zim's eyes widened. She . . . she said yes? SUCCESS! Zim was caught a little off guard with this reply. He was half-expecting Gaz to just walk away.

"7:00? YES! 7:00 is a wonderful time! I will see you at 7:00, little Gaz-human" Zim said with a small bow. Gaz's smile grew a little at the sight of this.

"Oooookay." She said as she turned and walked in class. Just then the bell rang, letting the lingering students out in the hall know that they were late. But Zim didn't care. He just smiled with accomplishment as he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked out of the building. He whistled and leisurely headed towards his next class; when something caught his eye. He turned around and looked back. An indigo blur flashed in the bottom of his vision for a split second. Zim rubbed his eyes, and the blur was gone.

"That kinda looked like . . . no, it can't be." He reassured himself, and confidently continued his walk. When he reached his building, he placed his hands on the door, but looked back as doubt began to fill his mind.

**A/N: So, yeah, like i said, not that much happened. I meant to write more, but a few things came up. Once again I apologize for rushing through this, and taking so long to update. I promise next chapter will be different. Until next time, bye =]**


	7. Gaz's overdose

**A/N: once again, I'm sorry it took so long to update. You know I normally like to update every other day, nut I was in town all of yesterday, and was working on a video for youtube today. Oooo! Which brings me to my next announcement:**

**Because I am so grateful for your views, comments, subscriptions, and for being added to your favorites' list, I wanted to give you all a sneek-peak on my new video! It is my first invader zim video, it's a ZaGr story (Duh), and it's on private until 3/23/11. That means, only YOU can watch it until then! **

**And because I'm lazy and won't update this, if you are reading this and 3/23/11 has already passed, then it's already open to the public, dude. Just go search it on youtube. And you fail. =P**

**But to you other VIPs, Thanks for reading so promptly and I hope you enjoyed the video. The link's on the bottom. You can either watch it first or read this first. (P.S. the video has nothing to do with this story)**

**Anyways, thanks to ****Nitocolus****, ****blueflower1594****, ****avatar2012****, ****PartyPoisonandFunGhoul****, ****AnnaConda1209****, and ****invaderjanie**** for your reviews.**

**Enjoy!**

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This is about stealing your mission, Zim.

_NOT revenge!_

_-Tak_

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The skool bell rang as overly excited students seem to launch themselves at the door. It was 3:15 and the children rushed towards their buses, eager to get home. Dib seemed to perk up a little. He waited until he was all alone in the room, and then departed out the door, cautiously looking around. Once he was outside the classroom, he flinched slightly as Zim walked passed. Zim raised a non-existent eyebrow at the started human, and then continued his walk home. Dib inhaled, gaining his focus back. He had a mission to do. He looked around, trying to find his target. After a few moments of attempting to be ninja, he saw her. Tak just came out of the girls' bathroom, and started heading towards the door. Dib ducked behind a trashcan, hoping that she didn't see him. Why was she in the girls' bathroom? Probably adjusting her disguise. Dib waited until she was out the door before he sprang into action.

* * *

As Tak walked back to her base, Dib followed behind her; jumping from bush to bush, hiding behind trees and parked cars, hoping that Tak wouldn't notice. She finally reached the abandoned Delishus Weenie Stand and went inside. Dib quickly and stealthily ran over to the door, catching it before it closed all the way. He waited a few seconds before slowly slipping inside.

It was dark; Dib carefully walked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust. A few minutes later, he was able to make out his surroundings. It was a large room with cleaning supplies and broken machinery, half-covered by sheets. Dib looked around the room, making his way towards a door. He opened it and was blinded by light. He rubbed his eyes and beheld a familiar sight. It wasn't anything like he remembered it. Where was all of the alien machinery? Where was the hover lifts? All of the technology was gone! Dib took a few steps forward and placed his hands on the railing. This didn't make any sense! If Tak didn't have any technology, then how could she follow through with a single plan?

"Gone" Tak said, nearly giving Dib a heart-attack. He gasped and quickly turned around to see Tak leaned up against the wall. How long had she been standing there?

"Everything . . . is just . . . _gone_. All of my hard work ripped away from me in the blink of an eye." She continued, looking around the huge building. Her eyes looked exhausted.

"Tak! I, uh . . . I was just—" Dib stuttered, looking for an explanation, but was cut off by Tak.

"I know why you're here, Dib, and I know that you were following me. Well, I suppose this isn't what you were expecting, now was it?" Tak said with a slight chuckle in her voice.

"Oh," Dib said. Tak knew all along that he was following her? Then why didn't she say something? . . . _Maybe she wanted him to see this_ . . . He turned back around to face the vast emptiness of the once breath-taking alien base. "No, I guess I wasn't expecting this." He finally answered. Tak walked up and leaned against the railing, looking down the void. Dib looked at the girl next to him. So, she wasn't lying? She was really banished? Dib still had some lingering doubts.

"So, you were really banished?" Dib asked, just making sure.

"That's what I said." Tak answered, propping her head up with her arm.

"For your failure at filling the Earth's core . . . with snacks?" He asked.

"Yup" she answered, beyond embarrassed. She didn't even care anymore.

"So, why are you being banished _now_?" Dib said. "I mean, that was three years ago!" Tak walked over and sat down on a wooden box. She sighed.

"Because I've been floating in space all this time. 2 days ago, I crash landed on a strange planet. When I called the Tallest, they said I should be punished for my failure, so they sent me here." She said. Dib walked over to her, beginning to feel remorse for the poor alien.

"As you can see, they stripped me of all my technology." She continued. "This is all I have left."

Dib looked around more. "That's terrible." He stated in disbelief. "So . . . what are you going to do now?"

Tak looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" She asked, not sure what he was implying.

"Well, are you just going to live day by day, pretending to be human, or do you have a revenge plan?" Dib asked.

"Revenge on who? You? Zim? The Tallest? What's the point! I would have nothing to gain! I have nowhere to go afterwards! And even if I wanted to, I don't have the resources!" Tak exclaimed, extremely frustrated with the situation. Dib stepped back a little, and Tak sighed.

"Besides, if I try and get revenge on you, Zim, and your sister for stopping me, then I would just be in the same position I am in now, only I would probably be under the knife on an autopsy table. I wouldn't be able to get away with it. I have nothing to prove anymore. I blew my chances at becoming an invader, and gaining the tallest trust. I have no allies to escape to, and no ship to escape _on_ for that matter! I'm stranded." She explained.

Dib looked down, feeling sorry for Tak. She had a point there, though he was relieved Tak wasn't planning to destroy him. Then Dib suddenly froze. _Her ship_. He bit his lips. Dib wondered what Tak would do if she found out that he had it. He looked down at the short, indigo-colored-hair girl. It wasn't fair that she was forced to live here the rest of her life. But if Dib told Tak that he had her ship, then she might be able to escape and live a free life. Then again, once she had a useful tool she could clasp her claws on, she might change her mind and get her revenge on them. Dib could only imagine how much hidden anger she had towards him. After all, this kind of was _all his fault (Gaz and Zim's too)_ If she had the chance, would she try to take over again? Dib couldn't be sure. He still didn't completely trust her, considering her past.

A long, booming silence filled the entire warehouse. Neither of them knew what to say. Things were getting a little awkward. Dib began to look at Tak up and down, studying her. _Could_ she be trusted? Deep down, Dib really wanted to, but knew that it would probably be a bad idea. Dib noticed that she hadn't grown much since he last saw her; an inch at the most. Then again, she was taller than the rest of them back then, but not so much anymore. Her disguise was pretty much the same. Dib doubted that Tak cared enough to update it.

Tak glanced over at Dib, feeling his eyes on her. _What was he looking at?_ Tak noticed that Dib was now taller than her. He had grown about half a foot. _Impressive_. His hair was a little longer as well.

"So what are _you_ going to do now?" She asked. "Turn me in to the Earth Authorities?" She glared at him.

Dib's eyes shot open. He hadn't thought of that. He supposed he could turn her in now. She was pretty much defenseless. This could be his big break! Finally people would take him seriously and stop calling him crazy! Never again would anyone question his sanity! Dib felt a smile grow on his face. They would treat him with respect. Everybody would take paranormal studies seriously. He could prove them all wrong.

He glanced back at the alien, who still held her glare.

Well, then again, maybe that wouldn't be a good idea. After all, Tak didn't really deserve that fate. Yes, she tried to take over Earth once before, but that was only to prove that she could be an invader. But now, she had nothing. Not even the desire to redeem herself. She had fallen hard, and Dib wondered if she would ever get back up. Dib remembered when he and Tak used to hang out in elementary skool, as brief as it was. He could almost consider her his . . . friend. But after finding out her secret, he didn't know what to think. Still, he couldn't bring himself to do that to Tak, regardless of what he might gain. At least for the time being. Maybe he could study Tak and see if she's worth trusting, then he could make his decisions.

"No." He said. Tak looked a little shocked.

"Why not?" she questioned. Dib raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"What do you mean? Do you _want _me to turn you in?" He asked.

"_No_! It's just . . . I thought that you, of all people, would be the first to do so." She answered. Dib felt a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.

"I think you deserve a fair _evaluation_." Dib said, a weak smile on his face. Tak placed her hands on her hips.

"Evaluation?" She questioned. Well, this was a change. Normally people are all too eager to punish her and watch her suffer. Never did they ever give her a chance to show them and prove them wrong. Even when trying to take over Earth, Tak had to escape on her own, gather up technology on her own, track down Zim on her own, learn about earth on her own, and come up with the brilliant plan to capture the tallest attention. But in the end, she failed. That result was always the same in everything she did. She would claw her way up, try so hard, but it seemed like someone would be waiting at the top just to throw her back down. But, Dib seemed to be giving her a chance to prove herself. To show that she was done with the Irken Empire, done with trying to take over earth, done with trying to become an invader (as if she had a choice in the matter).

"Yes, Evaluation. I'll decide what to do with you in a couple of days. You have until then to show me that you've changed." Dib said, a full blown smirk on his face.

Tak gritted her teeth, feeling a little angry. _Dib thinks he soooo smart, and soooo powerful. He is loving the idea of having power over me. What an ignorant jerk._ She sighed, calming herself down. She supposed she should consider herself lucky. What other choice did she have?

"Fine." She said. "You'll see in the next few days that I am what I say I am."

"If you say so." Dib said, turning to leave. Tak rolled her eyes.

"I don't understand why you need _more_ proof that I'm not lying. I mean, look around you! Isn't that enough?" She called out. Dib didn't respond, he just continued towards the door. Soon enough, he was gone.

Tak leaned up against the wall, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She had a bad feeling that she was going to be seeing a lot more of him in the time to come.

**

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The Membrane's household

Dib walked through the door and headed up the stairs. He passed Gaz on the way. She had her book bag on and was headed towards the door. Dib squinted one eye.

"Where are you going?" Dib asked his little sister. Gaz continued towards the door.

"Out." She said, and then exited the house. Dib shrugged and went into his room.

**

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Zim's House

"GIR! Don't eat that filth! It's for the Gaz-human!" Zim commanded. Gir looked over at him. His eyes flashed red as he saluted his master.

"YES SIR!" He said. He opened his mouth, reached his hand in, and pulled out a half-digested slice of pizza. Gir placed it back on the table with the other slices of pizza. Zim gagged, wishing he didn't watch that disgusting sight.

From the moment Zim got home, he had been preparing for Gaz's arrival. He spent three and a half hours planning, researching, cleaning, and ordering human food so that Gaz may enjoy herself.

"I think that's everything." Zim said aloud, as he looked around the room. "If all goes according to plan, Gaz will have an enjoyable time here. And when she's having fun, she'll never notice me gathering more and more information on her and her secret powers." Zim said menacingly as he rubbed his hands together. He grinned evilly as he started to chuckle. That chuckle began to grow and soon turned into a loud evil roar. Gir joined in as he started to re-consume the half-digested pizza he had pulled out of his throat.

Gaz approached the alien's creepy house. She could here evil laughter coming from inside. She knocked on the door.

Zim immediately stopped laughing and cleared his throat and adjusted his wig. He walked up to open the door, but turned back to face Gir, who was still laughing uncontrollably.

"_Be quiet_!" He hissed. Gir looked at him for a second, then over at the pizza. He quickly grabbed three slices and shoved them in his mouth. He smiled and gave his master a "thumbs up". Zim turned back around. He opened the door to reveal a darkly dressed girl with short, purple hair.

"Welcome!" Zim greeted as he squeezed his eyes shut with a smile. "Please, come in!" Zim stepped aside to allow room for Gaz walk inside. She looked around the living room, and then glanced over at the kitchen. It wasn't much to the ignorant eye, but Gaz knew of the secret rooms below the fake house. Zim walked up next to her.

"Would you like something to eat?" He asked. Gaz opened her mouth, but Zim didn't let her answer.

"GIR! Bring forth the snacks!" He ordered. Gir walked in and stopped in front of Gaz and Zim. They stared at him for a second. Suddenly, Gir's head opened up and he pulled out a big tray of human food. Gaz raised an eyebrow at the assortment of snacks. There was baby food, muscle milk, straws, eggs, a can of beans, Easter chocolate, chips, and popcorn kernels. She looked over at Zim, who had an expression of accomplishment.

"Delicious, yes?" He said. Gaz looked back at the tray and grabbed the bag of chips.

"uh-huh." She falsely confirmed. She walked over and sat on the couch, opening the bag of chips. She grabbed a handful and stuffed it in her mouth. Zim walked over and sat next to her, watching her eat. His smile never left his face.

"So . . . you like chips, don't you?" he asked. Gaz nodded.

"And what would happen if you, say . . . _didn't_ have your chips?" Zim asked, obviously up to something. Gaz raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"Ummm . . . I don't know." She said, not sure what he was getting at.

"Would you, spiral into a fit of rage?" He asked leaning closer. Gaz leaned back.

"Uh, they're just chips." She said. Zim looked a little disappointed. He resumed his normal position and placed his hand on his chin.

"Hmmmm . . ." Zim hummed, trying to think. He suddenly remembered something, a mischievous smile returning to his face.

"You know, if you are still hungry after you complete your consumption of the potato chips, we have pizza in the kitchen." Zim informed. Gaz swallowed.

"Is it Bloaty's?" she asked. Zim's smile grew even wider.

"Yes. Yes it is." Zim said. Gaz smiled as she headed towards the kitchen. But when she got there, she saw a little robot, sloppily eating greasy pizza. He held a slice in his hand, then tossed it in the air and caught it in his mouth. After he swallowed, he coughed violently. Gaz looked at the table, where an empty "Bloaty's pizza hog" box sat. _He ate the last slice_. Gaz glared at the metal minion.

"GIR! I told you that was for Gaz!" Zim yelled angrily (So much for that idea). Gaz looked back at Zim. The whole thing was for _her_. Zim took the time and went out of his way to get her her favorite food. The corners of Gaz's mouth curled up (they had been doing that a lot lately).

Zim sighed and placed one hand on his hip, the other pinching his non-existent nose; his eyes shut.

"I'm sorry about Gir. He can hardly control himself sometimes." Zim apologized.

"That's okay." Gaz said still smiling. If she ate the pizza anyway, Zim would have uncontrollable gags. He would get that way with most of earth's foods. Suddenly Gaz had an idea.

"What kind of snacks do _you_ eat, Zim?" Gaz asked, arms crossed. Zim returned to a normal position.

"Um, Irken snacks." Zim said.

"Could I try some?" Gaz asked. Zim looked a little shocked.

"Are you sure? It might have a negative effect on you. We could run some tests first—" He was cut off by Gaz.

"Just give me the snack, Zim. I think I can handle it." She said bluntly. Zim looked a little worried.

"Ooookaaaay." He said. Zim pulled out something with an Irken insignia out of his PAK. It was purple on one side and pink on the other. It had two, white, Popsicle stick looking things sticking out of the top. Zim took one out and placed it in his mouth. He extended his arm and gestured for Gaz to take out the other and do the same. She grabbed it, took a deep breath, and put it in her mouth.

For a second, nothing happened. It tasted bland, like it was water. She let it sit on her tongue. Then suddenly, a burst of heavenly flavor seemed to explode in her mouth as she felt the stick begin to slowly melt on top of her taste buds. It was like nothing she had ever tasted before. It was sweet, but not sugary sweet, like she had once thought was the only kind before. It was a little tart, but not necessarily sour. Gaz thought it tasted kind of like a cold breeze, or a cloud.

She could feel her eyes dilate and grow wide. Zim squinted one eye. He took the snack out of his mouth.

"Are you okay?" He asked, worried for Gaz's health. Gaz only trembled. Her vision started to blur as a tingling sensation flowed through her body. It was like she was on drugs. Zim took a step forward, beginning to feel scared.

"Gaz?" He said. Gaz closed her eyes as her knees began to quake and soon gave out. She fell to the floor, but didn't feel any pain. Zim gasped and dropped his snack to the floor.

"GAZ!" He cried out. He knelt beside Gaz, fear written all over his face. Oh no! What has he done? He's killed Gaz! This was awful! Zim frantically looked around, trying to figure out what he needed to do to save her. His eyes fell on her mouth. The snack. Zim placed his hand on the white stick and yanked it out of Gaz's mouth.

Her eyes instantly shot open, and found herself gasping for air. Her whole body shook as reality came rushing back. She felt like she had just been shot with straight adrenaline. Gaz looked around and had noticed she was on the floor. How did that happen? Zim was hovering over her, a look of relief and yet concern on his face. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. Try and calm down." He comforted. Gaz closed her eyes and did what Zim said. She forced her breathing to slow, and tried to stop shaking. After a few moments, she started to feel a little better.

Zim picked her up and placed her on the couch. She looked so frail, so weak. A state in which Zim had never seen Gaz before. He shook his head.

"I had a feeling this would happen." He said. "Your inferior human body couldn't handle such a strong, _superior_ snack. You're lucky to be alive."

Gaz's shaking had reduced to a small tremble. Her breathing had slowed, but she found herself inhaling much deeper. Okay, maybe that was a little stupid. She let her curiosity for alien foods cloud her judgment. Gaz felt a soft fabric cover her body. She looked over at Zim. He had gotten a blanket for her, and was turning on the TV.

"Just sit still for a little while, and concentrate on your respiration. If you don't feel better in 30 minutes, we'll have to run some tests." Zim informed. He left the room. Gir came over and changed the channel to a show that resembled the Teletubbies. Gaz would normally rip the remote away from him and change the channel, but she was too weak to care. She just watched the kiddy show until Zim came back.

"Gir, change it back! This show is full of stupid!" Zim scolded, snatching the remote away.

"But it fills me with knowledge." Gir said. Zim handed the remote to Gaz, who changed the channel to Punk'd. A few minutes passed before Zim spoke up.

"How are you feeling, human?" He asked with a genuine tone.

"Weak." Gaz answered. "But better." Gaz waited a few moments before asking Zim a question.

"Why do you care?" She asked. Zim looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, why do you care so much about giving me pizza, playing video games with me, making sure I'm okay? What's it to you?" Gaz explained. "Nobody else does, so why do you?"

"Is that why your attitude is so foul, because you feel nobody cares?" Zim said changing the subject. Gaz however, wouldn't allow it this time.

"Oh Stop it!" She exclaimed. "Stop changing the subject! I want an answer. To everything!"

Zim looked a little shocked.

"What do you mean by _everything_?" He asked.

"I mean I want you to be completely honest with me right now, and answer my questions." Gaz said.

"Okay, let's be honest then." He said, turning to face her. Gaz sat up a little, the blanket still wrapped around her.

"First, I wanna know why I 'peek your interest' and why you give a crap about me!" She said. Zim swallowed and looked down at his hands, as he wasn't sure himself.

"Well, you are so different from the other humans. You pose as a threat to them. While I . . . well, they just think I'm annoying." Zim said, his eyes on the floor. Gaz's expression softened. Zim quickly looked up, not believing he had just said that. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his pride.

"I was just curious to see why they feared you more than me." He continued. Gaz's expression went blank. So that's why he was constantly hanging around. Because he was jealous of her power?

"Also, it's because of this reason that you are better than them, and deserved to be treated as such." Zim managed to squeak out the last part. Gaz's soft expression returned. Finally, someone caught on. She smiled a little, feeling small butterflies in her stomach.

"Alright, thank you. Next, I wanna know if you have ever done anything rebellious before." Gaz asked. Zim thought about this for a second.

"Well, rebellion is very frowned upon in my society, as well as individualism." He said. "Can you define your version of rebellion?" Zim asked. Gaz happily answered.

"When you don't do what you are told. When you break the rules. When you disagree with society, or want to stand out." She answered. Zim bit his lip. He's definitely done that before.

"Oh . . . well, I guess I have been a bit of a rebel." He said as if he just realized it. Gaz raised and eyebrow, not completely buying it.

"Really? What did you do?" she asked with curiosity.

"Well, there was the time when I was first born and I shoved a smeet back up the baby shute. It was clogged up with babies and plunged my planet into darkness for 5 years." Zim recalled. Gaz's eyes widened. Did he say _five years_?

"Really?" She said, genuinely inpressed.

"Yeah . . . Also, there was that other time when I was 10 years old and I talked Skoodge to escape to the surface of Irk with me. We were attacked by robot guards and the explosions of their weapons plunged my planet into another 5 years of darkness." Zim continued. Gaz's eyes lit up. She never knew that.

"Did you ever make it to the surface?" she asked. Zim smiled.

"Of course! Nothing stands in the way of ZIM!" He exclaimed, jumping up on the couch. Gir was eating popcorn kernels as he watched Zim like he was a movie.

"Anyways, there was the other time when one of my inventions ate Almighty Tallest Miyuki. And a few weeks later came back to eat Almighty Tallest Spork." Zim said. Gaz chuckled at the funny thought.

"Later on, during Operation Impending Doom 1, Almighty Tallests Red and Purple, the present Tallest, told me to stay in a circle to watch the invasion." Gaz leaned forward, an evil smile on her face.

"Don't tell me you actually did that, did you?" She asked. Zim laughed.

"Of course not! My Empire needed me! So I ran outside and took a Frontline Battle Mech . . . but accidently nearly destroyed the planet." He said. Gaz busted out laughing.

"Let me guess, you ruined the whole invasion didn't you?" Gaz said while laughing. Zim looked down.

"I suppose . . ." He was interrupted by Gaz's laughter.

"Wow, Zim, that sure is amazing!" She said, grinning. Zim looked up, a smile growing on his face.

"I know, right? Finally someone agrees!" Zim said. Gaz continued Laughing. Zim just smiled at her. Zim had made her laugh. Gaz _never_ laughed, but Zim just made her laugh. He felt a warm feeling in his squeedly spooch. He liked that feeling. He liked to make Gaz laugh.

Gaz had caught her breath and began to speak.

"Okay, lastly, I wanna know if your life would still have meaning if you weren't an invader." She asked. Zim's smile instantly disappeared. Gaz's smile disappeared too, she felt bad for asking that, but she had to know. Zim looked off into the distance.

"I . . . I don't know. Probably not. For so long, my only purpose in life was to be an invader. If I wasn't . . . then I would have nothing to live for." He said. Gaz swallowed. Whoa, things just got heavy.

"Why wouldn't you just decide your own purpose in life? Why does it have to be given to you?" Gaz asked. Zim turned his head around sharply, not believing what he was hearing.

"Such ideas are unheard of on my planet. That's just the way it's always been." Zim said. Gaz bundled up in her blanket.

"Well, we aren't on your planet, now are we? We are on mine, and here on Earth, deciding your own purpose in life is encouraged. You have to work at what you want. It's not just decided for you by a higher power. Maybe your planet could use a change." Gaz said. Zim narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah? And look where it's gotten you! Your species are THOUSANDS of years behind mine! Maybe if you were all analyzed to see where you should be placed, you would be more advanced. So thanks Gaz, but I don't need your human advice." Zim said, arms crossed.

Gaz's eyes narrowed. _How dare he insult her people_! Granted, he had a point, but he didn't have to be such a jerk about it!

"You know, Earth isn't as far behind as you think. You may be more advanced in the field of technology, but you can't even comprehend such things as emotion, freedom, honor, and fun. You said yourself that it's a good thing to be different. Because if everyone was the same, nobody would come up with new ideas. Not just for technology, but for life itself. For instance, you hate Earth with a fiery passion. Why? Because you were raised . . . no, _programmed_ to think that anyone who isn't like you is inferior. Did you every even give it a chance to see for yourself, or were you just so convinced already that we humans are scum, even though you knew nothing about us? You have your own free will, why don't you use it?" Snapped Gaz.

Zim was shocked. Once again, he was left speechless by one of Gaz's responses. He started to stutter, but was silenced by Gaz's stare. He looked away, pouting. Gaz turned her attention towards the TV again.

Fifteen minutes passed in silence. Gaz almost jumped when Zim finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry." He squeaked. Gaz's eyes widened.

"What?" She said.

"I – I'm sorry." Zim said more clearly, looking at his boots, feeling as tiny as an ant. Gaz's expression of shock turned into that of sympathy.

"It's okay . . . I'm sorry too." She forced out, not usually one to apologize. It was silent for a while. Zim turned to Gaz. A weak smile returning to his face.

"You seem to be doing better." He said. Gaz nodded.

"Yup, I feel like my old self." She confirmed. Zim grinned.

"Good, now we can get on with the surprise." He said, jumping up from the couch. Gaz opened one eye.

"What surprise? Gaz asked. She wasn't sure if she liked where this was going. Zim's grin grew even wider.

"You'll see."

**

* * *

**

A/N: sorry to leave it a cliff hanger, but this is long enough. I didn't want to keep you waiting and you'll find out what happens in the next chapter. Oh yeah, here's the link (I can't believe no one has done this video yet!):

**Zim ~ Hellfire: www. (Youtube) ****.com/watch?v=NMG4jzAqVhU**

**Thanks for reading =]**


	8. Vampire Piggy Slayer

**A/N: Sorry.**

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, is all I can say. I didn't mean to take this long to update, honest. I've come to realize that I probably won't go back to updating EVERY DAY but hopefully in the future it won't take almost 2 weeks . . . **

**Oh who am I kidding. This is probably the last chapter I will update. I'm sorry everyone, but I just can't think of anything else to write! It's with a heavy heart that I must announce that this will be the last chapter to the story. After this, there will be no more. It will be discontinued. I'm so very sorry, but the truth is, I'm just not that good of a writer. I'm going through a lot right now and I don't have time to write this anymore. Well, let's get on with the final chapter.**

**Thanks for commenting: ****blueflower1594****, ****PartyPoisonandFunGhoul****, ****Captor of the Crazies****, ****invaderjanie****, ****avatar2012****, ****Nitocolus****, ****Invader Bel****, ****tritops1****, ****talavisto****, and ****MASTERGAMERSEMPAI**

**Thanks to everyone who has supported me and I'm sorry I let you down.**** Atleast I got to write an "action" chapter before I quit.**

* * *

Give me . . . the VAMPIRE PIGGY!

_-Gaz_

* * *

Zim lead Gaz down a long, creepy hallway . . .

"Where are we going?" She asked. They had been walking for what seemed like forever. After going down a familiar "Trashcan Elevator", they had walked through twist after turn of sharp corners and hallways that branched off to rooms and other hallways.

"As I said before, Gaz-human, _you will see_!" Zim retorted. Gaz was starting to get irritated. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, but tried her best to remain calm.

"Whatever! I just hope for _your_ sake we get there soon; my feet are beginning to hurt!" She warned. Zim rolled his exposed, Ruby/Magenta eyes. He had discarded his human disguise before trekking down below the house. _Oh, humans and their inferior, filthy feet,_ Zim thought. Though the thought infuriated him, Zim accepted the fact that he better listen to the scary child, for he knew she would make him pay in one way or another. Zim knew that Gaz was more powerful them him and could easily destroy him. That's why it was crucial to find her weakness.

"Seize your complaining; it's right up ahead." Zim informed. They reached a strange looking door and Zim punched in a few numbers on a keypad. The door slid open and as the two walked through the extraterrestrial archway, Gaz took notice of the sight in front of her with interest. There were cables hanging everywhere from the ceiling. An odd, pinkish glow seemed to spill from the creepy machinery along the walls. In the middle of the room sat Zim's very own spacecraft. It was raised on a pedestal.

"Impressive, no?" Zim said with a cocky smile on his face and his hands on his hips as he turned to Gaz, expecting her to agree. She glanced over at him an only shrugged. Then she walked forward towards the railing. Was this the big surprise? Zim showing off a random room with a spaceship? Stupid.

Zim's smile dropped and his nonexistent eyebrows furrowed. What would it take to impress her? You would think an alien inviting you over, sharing his food from another world with you, and showing you his secret labyrinth of rooms would be enough! But not for Gaz. No, Zim would need to take it even further than that to get a rise out of her. Luckily, Zim had planned on this.

Gaz placed her hands on the railing and looked into the ship. Suddenly, she saw movement. Gaz leaned forward and squinted her eyes, studying the spacecraft. She jumped back when a hissing noise filled the room, as the ship opened up to reveal a happy-go-lucky Gir sitting in the driver's seat. His costume had been discarded as well. He was making car noises and pretending to drive.

_How did he get there_?

Zim used his spider legs to jump over to the Voot Runner. He climbed inside the ship and began turning knobs and pressing buttons._ I never knew he could summon spider legs out of his back before, _Gaz thought. Zim pushed Gir out of the way. He then looked over at the girl and squinted one eye.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Zim asked as if it was obvious that Gaz should have followed him over there. Gaz looked around a little. After a few moments, she turned and walked out the door.

Zim's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He was in utter shock. Did she just . . . _leave_? FOOLISH, IGNORANT, EARTH-FEMALE! You DARE refuse Zim's generosity? Zim's face turned to anger as he turned knobs and pressed more buttons, grumbling under his breath. He was about to get out of the ship and go after her, when he turned around to see Gaz sitting next to him in the passenger's seat.

"AAAAAHHH!" Zim cried out in shock as he beheld the teenage girl. He clutched his chest in attempt to calm himself, breathing in and out (he didn't want to seem like he can easily scare in front of Gaz). She didn't seem to care about his reaction though, her eyes were focused on the gameslave in her hands. Zim looked confused.

"How did you . . . ?" Zim trailed off, looking around as if the answer would jump out in front of him. Then he cleared his throat, trying to regain his confident persona.

"Well . . . um, anyways . . . ONWARD!" He said raising his fist in the air. He quickly lowered it and pulled a few more levers, then pressed a big button. The ship shook a little, and then began to take off. Zim glanced over to Gaz, who had looked up from her game long enough to see that they were now flying over Zim's house. She returned to her game. A few moments later she spoke up.

"So, _now_ where are we going?" She said, eyes glued to the game. Zim smiled.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll find out soon enough." Zim said rubbing his hands together evilly. Gaz rolled her eyes, feeling irritated again.

"Can't you just tell me already?" She said in a tone that resembled a wine. Zim chuckled at the foolish request.

"I will do no such thing! Besides, it would _ruin the surprise_." Zim answered, his voice low in the last part. Gaz grumbled a little bit, but didn't protest. After a few minutes, they were outside of Earth's atmosphere. Zim pressed a few more buttons, and the ship changed course. They were now heading in the direction towards the moon.

Suddenly, the ship came to a halt. Gaz looked over at Zim, an eyebrow raised. He grinned and gestured towards the windshield, motioning for Gaz to look.

"We're here." He said. Gaz turned her gaze to the sight before them. Her jaw dropped, as well as the gameslave in her hands. Her eyes were huge, and gleaming.

Right above the moon's surface, scattered all around were hundreds of Vampire Piggies. They looked just like they did in the game. Gaz leaned forward and pressed her face against the glass, drinking in the sight. There were evil, flaming piggies everywhere. Gaz looked to right, then the left, then up and down, her visage was that of disbelief.

Zim studied her, the grin still on his face. He knew he had done well, even though they just got here. Zim noticed that Gaz's excitement reminded him of Gir when they first flew through Earth's atmosphere three years ago.

Gaz's eyes drifted further ahead, behind all of the piggies. She let out a sharp gasp as her gaze fell on the Pork Castle, hovering in midair. Oh _no way_! This was amazing! The piggies and castle were all so vivid! It was like she had been teleported into the actual game! How is this possible? Were they all just some sort of holograms . . . or had Zim genetically-engineered real live piggies?

Gaz turned to face Zim, her expression remained in awe.

"D – Did _you_ do all of this?" She asked, not really believing that _Zim_ could be this clever and creative to come up with something like this. Zim's grin grew wider, causing his eyes to squint slightly. He placed his fists on his hips and stood tall and proud.

"_Of course_ it was me!" He said, with slight tension on the edge of his words. "Who else would be SO AMAZING as to re-create our favorite game? NO ONE, THAT'S WHO!" Zim said overly dramatic. Gaz looked back at the spacious void filled with the flying swine.

"But . . . how? . . . why?" Gaz stuttered, still in a daze. Zim leaned forward and pressed a button. Things began to spin and turn, then suddenly a control of some sort was spat out of a random hole. Zim picked it up.

"I took DNA samples from this pig that Gir always seems to bring home. I cloned them and altered them to become more demonic. It took a couple of tries, but eventually I got the desired results." Zim explained. They could hear Gir giggle at the mention of his piggy friend, but they ignored him. Gaz looked up at Zim. She didn't know what to say. Luckily (for once), he was still talking.

"I also thought that you would like it. It is better than the arcade, yes? I made a few modifications to the controller, but despite the upgrades it is identical to the original." Zim said, handing the controller to Gaz. She gently took it and studied it in her hands.

"DOES IT NOT AMAZE YOU?" He shouted as he jumped up on the driver's seat, leaning back and clenching his fists in the air. Gaz looked down at the controller and cautiously pressed the blue button. Suddenly, the whole ship flew back as a laser canon was fired at the piggies. Twelve were instantly vaporized. Gaz's eyes widened as a giddy grin swept across her face. Zim, however, had fallen off the seat and onto the floor. He moaned a little then stood up, rubbing his back.

"Wow!" Gaz exclaimed, showing possibly the most emotion she had ever shown all at once in her whole life. "That's awesome!" She turned her attention over to Zim, who was still grimacing in the lingering pain. Gaz smiled at him.

"Waaaaaay better than the arcade." She said, then turned back to her controller. Zim felt a chill go down his spine, followed by a most fulfilling sensation of warmth.

There it was again. That feeling, the kind Zim could only get when seeing Gaz smile at him. Zim soon found himself smiling as well. He just stood there for a while, watching Gaz with half lidded eyes. After a few moments, he realized he was staring at her. He shook his dazed expression off of his face and looked around nervously, hoping Gaz or Gir didn't notice. He took a step forward and cleared his throat.

"Sooo, shall we begin?" Zim said as he pulled out a similar controller out of nowhere. Gaz looked at him with excitement in her eyes and nodded her head. She was obviously eager to play in the world created just for her. Gaz look back at the controller and pressed the orange button, wondering what it would do. Suddenly, there was a blinding white flash of light as the whole ship seemed to shutter. Gaz and Zim rubbed their eyes, both not expecting that. They looked at the scene before them to see about twenty piggies limply floating in the air as stars circled around their heads.

"That button stuns them," Zim explained, then his expression turned to worry. "However, it also angers them with a deep and fiery hatred and doubles their blood thirst for you." Zim said as he watched the rest of the hundreds of pigs turn around and charge straight towards them. Gaz looked down at the controller, her exciting expression faded and replaced with that of concentration.

"How do you move the ship forward?" She asked, slightly irritated she couldn't figure it out.

"You can't, only I can. You control the lasers, I control the ship." He stated mater-of-factly completely forgetting the fact that they were in great danger. Gaz's now intense gazed fell on Zim.

"Then _move forward_!" She ordered. Zim snapped back from his expository expression and seemed to be aware of his surroundings once again. He franticly grabbed the controller and did what Gaz said. He nervously, but firmly moved the joystick forward, setting them on a collision course with the piggies. Gaz turned back and faced the angry hogs, an expression of deep concentration spread across her face.

"Alright, hang on . . ." She warned. Zim braced himself for impact, but kept his thumb on the joystick. Gaz squinted her eyes as they rushed towards the piggies. Just when they were seconds from hitting the army, Gaz pressed the orange button, then quick as lightning pressed the blue one. A loud boom vibrated across the ship as the laser cannon shot the blinded, squealing piggies.

"Pull up!" Gaz commanded. Zim grunted as he sharply maneuvered past the dying patch of evil blood pigs, just barely missing them. The ship spun wildly as they shot up in the air. A few of the pigs dared to chase after them. Zim laughed evilly as he enjoyed the insane battle they had just instigated. He pulled himself back to reality and stopped his maniacal laughter, however a twisted evil grin showing that of sick pleasure remained on his features. He was ready to lose himself in the epic fight at hand. He turned his head and moved the joystick again, and the ship seized its spinning. Instead, it turned back around and faced the massive group of flaming hogs.

Gaz's expression didn't change, for she was in the zone. A sort of . . . trance, if you will. Her instincts of past video game experiences were taking over. Another design was automatically forming in her head as they charged towards the vampire piggies.

Gaz pressed the blue button rapidly, targeting individual pigs. Zim laughed as they exploded, then suddenly jerked the ship into controlled twists and turns. The feeling of the movement kind of resembled being on a rollercoaster, only there were no limits. Surprisingly Gaz rolled with it, destroying everything in their path. Their synchronized movements fit together so perfectly. Zim and Gaz were an unstoppable team. They could almost sense what the other was going to do next and adjusted to their movements simultaneously. To watch their coordinated flying and shooting was like art. They gracefully tore through the air in a most deadly manner.

Gir was flying all over the place behind them, slamming up against the walls, and laughing at the fun and painful ride.

Gaz could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as the somewhat familiar thrill of playing a good game gave her. But this was different from the feeling she got in other games. This was _much_ more exciting. Gaz experimented with the buttons and produced a combo move that launched some sort of bomb into a crowd of piggies. She watched their expressions changed from anger to fear as they exploded. Gaz felt a grin of self satisfaction spread across her face. She did her best to hold back a chuckle in the back of her throat, but didn't succeed. This was so much fun! She had dreamt of being inside the game countless times before; Zim had made it come true.

Zim sped towards the last group of piggies, leaning forward in anticipation, the evil smile still plastered on his face. His eyes shot over at Gaz. He couldn't wait to see what she was going to do for the grand finally. A grin slowly grew on her face as they zeroed in on the unfortunate pigs. Her intense eyes were gleaming. Gaz pressed buttons in a most elaborate combination:

_**Blue+Blue+Yellow+Blue+Green+Orange+RED**_

She slammed her fist down on the big red button in the middle of the controller. The ship made a low humming noise, and then began to vibrate. The teeth chattering vibration quickly turned into a shutter, and the humming turned into a high pitched squeal. Gaz was about to cover her ears when all of the sudden, she and Zim were propelled forward as the ship flew back. They bounced off the windshield and quickly stood back up holding their heads, not wanting to miss the sure-to-be-epic final blow.

An exploding sound could be heard as their vision was once again blinded by an immaculate, copper light. The explosion quickly faded as ten screaming porcine were catapulted towards the Pork Castle, spinning out of control. Electric lightning bolts seemed to be trailing behind them; their flaming aura was no longer orange, but blue. Their skin was charring up under the unbearable, blistering heat. Seconds later they collided with the castle and another explosion followed. The blood pigs were instantly turned to dust, but the castle was now on fire. In a matter of seconds, it collapsed under the heavy stress.

Gaz and Zim just stared at the beautiful sight, their faces alit by the fire. They found themselves panting from the thrilling rush. The lingering ghost of excitement left a smile on both of their faces. After a few minutes of admiring the destruction they caused, they turned to face each other. And because of the intensity of the circumstances, they shared a silent, somewhat intimate moment.

Zim looked at Gaz. He could sense her heart racing and see her chest moving up and down as she breathed deeply. The orange light reflecting on her pale skin complimented her features tremendously. Then Zim noticed something that he didn't notice before. She had grown up so much in the years he's known her. How old was she now? 13? She defiantly _looked_ more mature. Zim recalled in the 6th grade having to watch a video about "Puberty". It explained that all dirt-children go through a sort of . . . transformation, in their teenage years. When Zim first saw the video, it disgusted him. But looking at Gaz now, he could see the changes in her appearance. Gaz was defiantly going through puberty. Her body was now starting to resemble that of an "hour glass", and her chest has seemed to have swelled up. Yes, this "Puberty" had a curious effect on Gaz. Her body wasn't that revolting. Infact . . . it looked kind of . . . _nice_ . . . on her.

Gaz stared into Zim's alien eyes. The glow from the flames danced across his smooth, green skin. She studied the movement of his body as he was still breathing heavy from the proceeding victory. She recalled the battle they had just fought together and how much she and Zim had gotten _so into it_. He was so full of passion in everything he did. Whether he failed or succeed, you had to admire his dedication. To Gaz, it would seem to get exhausting after a while, but Zim thrived on it. Zim seemed to be extremely dedicated to making Gaz happy lately, as evidence by the landscape before them. He had paid attention to Gaz's interest. He bought her pizza, knowing it disgusted him and if one drop of grease got on him, he would be in a stinging world of pain; he had gone to the arcade with her and stood up for her when the security guard tried to kick them out (even though his efforts were futile); and now he had created a virtually identical world to that of her favorite video game. He was doing all of these nice things for her. Nobody pays enough attention to Gaz to know much about her interests, let alone do something nice for her. But Zim wasn't like everybody else. He was different. Gaz found herself admiring Zim's unintended individualism lately. He was obviously different from the humans, but Gaz had discovered earlier that he was also an individual among his own race, which Gaz could only assume was rare when it comes to Irkens. Who would've thought the first person to get to know her would be an alien? Gaz decided that she should come up with something that Zim would like in the near future. She owed him after all. Gaz couldn't help but feel that behind Zim's big ego, he seems like he is feeling unhappy lately. But Gaz would have time to think of that later. In the meantime, some MAJOR praise was in order.

"That . . . was SOOOOO much fun!" Gaz admitted. "I can't believe you did all of that! Everything was just so _perfect_! You were brilliant out there!" she complimented. Zim smiled a Zipper-tooth smile.

"Thanks! Yes that was most exciting: just how I designed it. You were pretty impressive yourself." Zim said. _I'm so relieved you liked it! You have no idea how long it took me to make it perfect, _Zim mentally added. Gaz continued smiling. She made her way to the passenger's seat and sat down.

"Thanks for inviting me over. I had a great time tonight." She admitted, a soft and genuine smile on her face (this is probably the first time she's ever worn it). Zim swallowed, suppressing the warm fuzzy feeling trying to engulf his body.

"Me too." Zim said as he walked over to the driver's seat and set a course for Earth. Silence filled the ship. Gir suddenly spoke up.

" . . . MEEEE THREEEEEEEE!" He hollered, dragging out his words. They both looked back at Gir. Gaz raised an eyebrow, but Zim's expression seemed to be a bit angrier.

"Gir! Do not speak again until we are back home!" Zim ordered, razors on the edge of his words. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" He continued shouting, a few drops of spit flying from his mouth. Gir looked at Zim for a little while, then his eyes glowed red as he saluted his master. He slowly got up and walked to the back corner of the ship and sat down, hugging his legs.

Gaz glanced over at Zim, wondering why he just blew up at Gir. Although Gaz could agree that the delayed chiming in of the conversation was slightly irritating, she didn't think it deserved to be handled like that. However, Gaz didn't care enough to ponder this any further, so she turned back around.

Zim looked around a little before turning back in his seat, arms crossed. Everyone was silent. It remained this way until they entered Earth's atmosphere once again. It was a little bumpy, but not so much that it was an inconvenience. Zim looked at Gaz.

"Would you like me to drop you off? We will pass over your house momentarily." Zim asked, breaking the silence. Gaz looked back at Zim.

"Aren't you afraid that Dib will see?" Gaz asked. Zim scratched his head then answered.

"Don't you fret, little-Gaz, I won't let Dib catch you with the enemy." He answered in a teasing manner, a grin once again returned to his face. Gaz rolled her eyes as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips, causing the right one to curl slightly. She leaned against the dashboard and rested her arm there, propping her head up with her hand.

"Right . . . well, you can just drop me off on the roof." Gaz suggested. Zim took this as a request.

"As you wish." He turned back to face the world rushing past below them. They slowly came to a halt right over the membrane household. It was about 9:30 P.M. Earth time. Zim brought the ship down to the roof and stepped off to help Gaz out. They wind blew threw her hair and threw his antennas as the moon reflected off of their bodies. They smiled at each other.

"Well, I hope you had as much fun as I did on this most memorable experience." Zim said.

"Yeah, except the part where I almost O., it was pretty fun." Gaz said with the smile remaining on her face, her arms crossing.

"Hehehe, Oh yeah." Zim said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked up at the stars. Gaz looked up as well. After a few moments, they looked back at each other.

"We'll, I guess I'll see you in skool tomorrow." Zim said as he climbed back in the ship. Gaz took a step forward, slipping her hands in her pocket.

"Hey!" she called out. Zim turned to her.

"You wanna come over here tomorrow after skool?" She offered. Zim looked a little disappointed.

"I can't." He said. "I have . . . _de-ten-tion to-mor-row._" He said in a mocking tone as he rolled his eyes. Gaz looked down as she returned her expression blank.

"Oh." She said, disappointed as well. _Darn it!_ "Well, maybe some other time."

Zim didn't answer, he just got in the Voot and waved to Gaz as it started to take off. Gaz looked up and waved back, giving Zim a friendly smile. Soon, he was gone.

Gaz sighed. She turned, and made her way inside.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, that was chapter 8. I hope you liked it. Yeah, Gaz has never seen Zim's spider legs before. Oh, and do you ever notice that in episodes like "Battle Dib" and "Tak: The hideous new girl", Gaz seems to just appear out of nowhere? Well, I decided to use that here =]**

**Now, I know this next announcement may make you angry with me. But I know I can't blame you, I deserve your hatred. It's just something I HAD to do. You see, I have a confession to make . . .**

**APRIL FOOLS! ! ! ! XD XD XD XD XD XD**

**AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA ROFL! I was just kidding about discontinuing the story! LOL! could you imagine? Did you really think I would just up and quit like that? LOL! No Way would I ever do that to you guys! **

**Yup this was all just a cruel joke in celebration of april fools day. I know most of you are reading this and it's already past. Oh well, happy LATE april fools day, then =] !**

**No, Zim's Awakening will LIVE ON! As I said in the beginning, I will see this through to the end! I just wanted to do SOMETHING on april fools day. I hope you guys aren't TOO mad. And if you are . . .**

**I'm sorry . . .**

**Maybe you'll forgive me if I update? =3**

**Well anyways, comment, tell me what you thought about this chapter. (not so sure I like the beginning or end, I really just liked how the middle turned out, but maybe it's just me) or better yet, tell me what you thought about the prank! ;)**

**Happy April Fool's Day!**


	9. Friendship walk

**A/N: Okay, so here's chapter 9. I'm gonna warn you now, not that much happens, but oh well. I'm sorry about the April fool's joke, but it was pretty funny. Anyways,**

**Thanks to ****blueflower1594****, ****Captor of the Crazies****, ****invaderjanie****, ****Invader Key****, ****avatar2012****, ****PartyPoisonandFunGhoul****, ****sakiko of soleana****, ****Fantasy017****, ****lifeisgood4u****, and Randomviewer for comenting. And I'm glad you liked the joke. =]**

* * *

_You're after revenge?_

_-Zim_

* * *

"Gaz! Are you coming or what?" called out Dib. It was Friday, 8:40 A.M. and Gaz had over slept (or so Dib thought). If she didn't hurry, they were going to be late.

"Uh . . . how about you just go on without me, Dib? I'm gonna be a few more minutes." Gaz said aloud. Dib furrowed his eyebrows.

"Are you sure? I mean, I can wait if you want me to—" Dib was cut off.

"Just leave already!" exclaimed Gaz, getting irritated that Dib wouldn't take a hint. She didn't want to walk with him today. She wanted to walk with someone else . . .

"Alright alright, sheesh!" Dib said as he gathered his things and walked out the door. Gaz breathed a sigh of relief, but gasped as soon as she looked at the clock. Crap! Thanks to Dib's stupid waiting, she was getting a late start. Oh well, she would make up the time. Gaz grabbed her things and power-walked out the door.

* * *

After a few minutes, Gaz had finally made it. Luckily, she didn't have to walk all the way to Zim's house. He was crossing the street, already on his way to skool. Gaz waited around the corner. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to regain her cool. She could feel Zim's footsteps approaching. Right on cue, he passed her. It only took him a couple of steps before he realized that someone he knew was behind him. His antennas twitched under his wig and he spun around on one heel.

"Gaz?" Zim said with one eye squinted, obviously caught off guard by her presence. He instantly smiled. "Well, how pleasantly unexpected to see you. Tell me . . . why are you on this side of the neighborhood?"

"I figured we could walk to skool together." Gaz said casually as she pulled out her gameslave.

"Hmm?" Zim grunted in a questioning manner. "Why?" He said, genuinely curious. Gaz rolled her eyes feeling slightly rejected. But she knew Zim didn't quite understand the concept.

"I don't know. Because that's what children do with friends. They walk together and enjoy each other's company." Gaz explained. What was the big deal? She and Zim had walked to skool together before. But of course, Zim had forgotten about that. That idiot.

Zim placed his hand on his chin and looked away squinting his eyes, thinking about the weird ritual.

"Hmmm . . . sounds strange . . . but interesting. Very well, Gaz, I will try this . . . _friendship walk_, with you." He said.

"Great." She said emotionless as she began walking. Zim walked next to her. It was silent for a few moments. After a while, Gaz broke the silence.

"Sooo . . . what's up?" she said, wondering if Zim was up to anything worth talking about recently. Zim was completely clueless to the slang. He looked up.

"Um, clouds? And blue stuff." He said awkwardly. Gaz chuckled.

"Oh, don't tell me you seriously haven't picked up on human slang yet, have you?" She said looking over at him, smiling. Zim was not amused.

"Zim doesn't know what you are talking about." Zim said, eyebrows furrowed. Gaz sighed.

"'What's up' is slang for 'what have you been up to' as in how is your life going or something like that. It's just a friendly greeting." Gaz explained. Zim looked off into the distance, as if he was mentally putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

"I see . . . well, in response to your . . . slangy question, I have been most content." Zim said. He looked over at Gaz and decided to try out this "slang" the humans used.

"What-has-been-up with your life, Gaz-human?" Zim said in a most awkward manner with an odd look on his face. Those words sounded so wrong coming out of his mouth. It was so disturbingly weird that it caught Gaz off guard. Her eyes shot open and she paused her game. She looked over at Zim in a questioning manner. They just stared at each other for a second, until Gaz started to snicker. Zim started to feel embarrassed. Was Gaz laughing at him? Anger spread across his face.

"What?" He said shouted in frustration. Gaz stopped laughing, but her smile remained.

"Nothing. I've been okay, I guess." She said, answering both questions.

The two of them continued their journey to skool. They would talk, laugh every now and then, and converse about more "human slang". But meanwhile, on the other side of the neighborhood . . .

Dib was walking alone, talking to himself. He was in a conversation about how he still didn't know what the heck that alien device was and it had been almost a week; when he looked up to see Tak walking to skool in a most dreary manner. _Hmmmm . . . maybe Tak would know_. Dib quickened his pace, catching up with Tak. But as he started getting closer, doubtful thoughts started rushing through his mind.

Was this a good idea? Was it safe to trust Tak? Who's to say she won't just lie? What if she sees the pictures and decides to steal it from him?

No.

What was the big deal? After all, he said he would be checking up on her, and this would be a good test to see if she was worthy of living on Earth. Why would she lie? Like she said, she had nothing to gain. And Dib wouldn't let her steal it from him. She didn't have any resources or tricky alien technology to get it from him anyway.

Dib felt himself relax a little as he resolved his inner conflict just before reaching Tak.

"Hey." He greeted as he walked up next to her. Tak raised a nonexistent eyebrow as she directed her eyes over at him, but kept her head face forward. Dib continued to stare at her. Tak closed her eyes and sighed.

"What is it that you want?" Tak asked. Dib took his book back off and pulled some pictures out of there.

"Well, I was sorta wondering if you could tell me what this is." Dib handed Tak the pictures and she started flipping through them. "You see, I stole it from Zim a few days ago and I have been running some tests on it. But I still can't seem to figure it out." He continued.

Tak narrowed her eyes and move the pictures closer as she studied them.

"Hmm . . . it almost looks like an ante brachium retrieval claw, but the main focal rotor is missing." Tak said examining the pictures. Dib's eyes lit up. Wow! That sounds pretty cool!

"Yeah, well, I think he was fixing it or something when I took it." Dib explained. Tak looked at another picture and her eyes widened for a moment, then returned to their narrowed slits.

"Well, I can see that Zim did a very poor job of it so far. I wouldn't have used that kind of bonding alloy for those two pieces." Tak criticized. Dib smiled.

"So, what does it do? The . . . ante brachium thingy." Dib asked, thankful that he didn't have to figure it out all on his own. Tak gave him the pictures back and looked at him.

"You basically press the button on the bottom and it reaches out and grabs things up to 30 feet away." Tak informed. She slipped her hands in her pockets and resumed her normal walking stance before Dib had interrupted her. Dib looked at the pictures and slipped them into his pocket.

"So you know how to fix it." Dib questioned. Tak looked at him, feeling slightly insulted.

"Of course I know how to fix it! It's a very simple piece of machinery. Why, it wouldn't take me longer than 2 minutes to fix!" Tak gloated. Dib smiled, taking that as an offer.

"Oh _really_? What supplies would you need?" Dib said, crossing his arms. Tak stopped walking and faced Dib with her hands on her hips. She eyed him.

"What are you getting at?" She asked suspiciously. Dib looked down at her and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could fix it . . . together. We – or I – could sneak over to Zim's house and steal the supplies we need. We could use it to our advantage when we are done fixing it." Dib offered. Tak tilted her head to the side, thinking over what Dib had just said.

"You want to work _together_ to fix it?" Tak asked. Dib nodded. Tak shook her head, not fully understanding why he insisted on bugging her.

"Why don't you just steal me the stuff, and give it to me to fix?" Tak continued. It sure would save a lot of time. With Dib hovering over her, it would just slow things down. Dib placed his hand on his chin.

"So, you _would_ be willing to fix it." He said, studying her. She didn't resist helping him. That was a good sign. "Do you really think I would pass up the opportunity to see how an Irken fixes its equipment? No, this is a great opportunity to learn how to fix alien technology." Dib continued. Tak sighed and continued walking. He did have a point.

"Alright, Dib, you win. I'll give a list of things I – _we'll_ – need, during lunch." Tak said, running her hands through her hair. Dib noticed this.

"Great! This is going to be awesome!" Dib said, rubbing his hands together and holding back a squee face. He looked over to see Tak roll her eyes.

"So, why didn't you update your disguise yet?" Dib couldn't help but ask. Tak continued to walk tall and proud, keeping her eyes ahead of her.

"What do you mean? You think I don't _look_ good?" Tak said, closing her eyes. Dib shook his head and put his arms out in front of him, crossing them back and forth, over lapping each other.

"No no no! That's not what I meant. You look amazing!" Dib said, but instantly shrunk down as he realized the words didn't come out right.

Tak turned her head to look at him, eyes squinted and mouth slightly open. What did he just say?

"I mean . . . as far as human disguises go, yours is very . . . it's just . . . you still look . . . there's nothing wrong with the look ITSELF, you just need to . . ." Dib nervously said, stuttering. Tak just raised an eyebrow.

Dib found himself blushing. He swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts. He cleared his throat nervously.

"All I'm saying is . . . you're in the eighth grade, but you still look the same as you did in fifth." Dib finally spat out. Tak faced forward again, breathing in heavily.

"I disagree. I modified it so I appear a little taller and more mature." Tak calmly defended. Dib shook his head. She was missing the point.

"I didn't mean your age; I mean your clothes and hair." Dib clarified. Tak continued walking, her eyes half-lidded.

"Why would I do that? It's just clothes." She said. Dib looked at her. It's not like she was too busy play around with it. Dib wondered what Tak did when she got home. Does she just sit there and stare out a window? Does she sleep? Does she go out and walk around? Does she try and find some technology laying around that perhaps the Irkens forgot to haul away?

Did she cry . . .

Well, whatever she did, Dib knew she wasn't changing her look.

* * *

Zim opened the door for Gaz and they continued on to her first period. After walking down a long hallway, they finally reached a door labeled "Psychology". Gaz turned off her gameslave and slipped it in her pocket. She turned to Zim with one of her signature snickers on her face.

"Well, good luck with Dib all day. And I hope you enjoy sharing detention with him." She teased her friend. Zim crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. However, a playful, teasing smiled spread across his features as well.

"Oh don't worry; I'm sure Dib and I will share our detention with much enthusiasm." Zim said sarcastically (something he and Gaz had practiced on the way over). Gaz tilted her head slightly to the side, her smile softening.

"Do you know what time you get out?" She asked. Zim looked up in a thinking position.

"I don't know . . . 4:00 perhaps?" Zim answered. Gaz raised an eybrow.

"They didn't tell you?" she questioned. Zim shook his head. Gaz sighed and took out a piece of paper and a pen. She began to write something down.

"Do you have a phone?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the paper in her hand.

"Why . . . _yes_. Yes I do." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Good." Gaz replied. She folded up the paper and stepped forward to hand it to Zim. He took it cautiously, wondering what was on the paper that was so important.

"Call me when you get home, okay? Maybe we could do something." She offered. Zim looked down at the folded paper for a while, then his eyes lit up a little as he finally comprehended what Gaz was saying. He looked up and met Gaz's eyes. She was smiling at him again. Zim returned the smile.

"I rather enjoyed that friendship walk. Maybe we could do it every day?" Zim said. Gaz's smile grew a bit wider.

"I'd like that." She simply said. Gaz turned and walked towards the door and placed her hands on the knob. Before she turned it, she looked back at Zim.

"See ya later." She said with her left hand waving.

"Farwell." Zim said with a nod.

Gaz slipped inside the room and made her way to her seat. Zim turned around. He inhaled deeply and exhaled with an "Aaaaaah" sound. He confidently marched down the hallway to his homeroom but froze halfway down it. Through the crowd of children, Zim could make out black, pointy hair. _Dib_. But there was someone next to him. Zim walked to the side of the hallway to get a better view, never taking his eye off of the child. It was a female, that much was clear, that seemed to have . . . indigo hair. Zim's eyes widened as he recalled the only girl he had ever known with short blue hair.

No, it can't be!

Zim climbed over a few kids attempting to get a better look. He ignored their cries of annoyance and pressed forward with his mission. The first bell rang as the crowd seemed to thin out a little. Slowly, the girl came into sight. Zim gasped as his suspicions were proven true. He fell to the floor as the children he was standing on departed to their class. Zim grunted in pain, but quickly got up and rubbed his false eyes. Now the three of them were the only ones left in the hallway. Zim narrowed his eyes as he jumped in front of the two kids. They looked up to notice the green child.

"TAK! Wha- what are you doing here?" Zim demanded with anger and a hint of fear in his voice. Tak exhaled heavily as she squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her false nose. She directed her head downwards.

"Oh no." She mumbled, dreading the confrontation at hand. She knew this was bound to happen sooner or later. Dib looked over at her, then back at Zim, whom he glared at.

"And why are you walking with _Dib_! WHAT IS THE _MEANING_ OF THIS!" Zim shouted dramaticly. Tak looked up sharply, daggers in her eyes.

"Zim! Get out of my way before you make me _late_!" She hissed with razors in her words. Zim dismissed the demand.

"You've come back for revenge, _haven't you_?" Zim shouted, pointing a shaky, accusing finger at her.

"NO, actually, I've come back becau—" She was cut off.

"HAVEN'T YOU!" Zim practically screamed, jumping closer to Tak, his finger now touching her forehead. Tak bared her teeth as rage began to fill her body. She trembled with anger, and a low growl was forming in the back of her throat.

"Zim, leave her alone! She's not here for revenge!" Dib defended with his eyebrows furrowed, stepping closer to Zim. Tak glanced over at Dib. Why was _he_ defending her? Zim turned his attention to Dib, but kept his position.

"LIES!" He shouted. Suddenly, Tak slammed Zim into a nearby wall. Zim grunted in pain. _Ow_. Tak got in Zim's face, as her glare cut through him like knives.

"I said . . . NO!" She said in a most deadly manner, her words slow and low. Zim swallowed, feeling very intimidated, but refused to let it show.

"Zim, if you know what's best for you, you will STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Tak said in a whisper at first, but shouted the last words. She gave Zim a final shove and stepped away from him. She stomped down the hall with her eyes still narrowed, obviously pissed.

The final bell rang, letting the Zim and Dib know that they were late. Zim brushed himself off, then looked over at Dib, who was watching Tak walk away. Zim resumed his default glare.

"What are you two planning?" Zim asked in a commanding manner. Dib turned his gaze to Zim, and changed his expression to match Zim's.

"That's none of your business, _space-boy_!" Dib answered, his arms crossing. Zim's eye twitched. He growled a little before shouting more words.

"I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION FOR THIS! WHAT ARE YOU HIDING, DIB-BEAST! _Tell, Zim_!" Zim shouted with his fists clenched in the air. Dib smiled at the amusing sight.

"You'll never know, _Zim_!" Dib said, as he turned and ran to his class, knowing he was going to be punished for being late. Zim turned towards his direction, sheer anger engulfed his face.

"I'LL FIND OUT EVERYTHING SOON, DIB! !" Zim yelled out to Dib. Zim turned and ran to his class, his mind racing. What was Tak doing back? Surely she was back for revenge. But why was she walking with Dib? Dib knows she's Irken, right? Tak seemed to be all too eager to get to class. Why did she care so much? She probably wanted to take over Earth again. Zim panted, seeing his classroom in the distance.

But, of course, Zim wouldn't let that happen.

* * *

**A/N: like I said, not that much happened. But more things will next time. Yeah, it might be a while before I update. I got a "D" and a few "C's" on my report car, and I think my mom is going to take away the labtop. But I will try and find a way! Lol, anyways, thanks for reading, and yeah, I know it's unlikely for "Psychology" to be offered at a middle skool, but oh well again.**

**Don't forget to comment and tell me what you think!**

**Bye! **


	10. Not So New Girl

**A/N: Yeah . . . about the wait . . . i think you already know that I'm about to apologize . . . but first let me explain.**

**You see, as some of you may recall, I stated that it might be a while because of my grades. Well, that turned out to not be the case. You see, my mom wasn't that mad, so i had no problem getting computer access. The problem was, that my free trial of Word ran out . . . so I had no way of actually writing a new chapter. This is a new labtop, and for some reason, all i have is stupid sticky notes. So fter trying a few different things, i finally came up with a temporary solution. You see, I'm writing this in my email and I've been saving this as a draft. Now that I have finished, I just copied and pasted this into an exisiting file in document manager. And as you can see . . . IT WORKED XD**

**Aaahhh . . . so anyways, that's my story: Now on to the REAL story.**

**P.S. sorry for the wait. I tell you, after this expereince, i have new found respect for all authors and will be more paitent with them.**

**Thanks to Captor of the Crazies, Monochrome Masquerade, blueflower1594 , PartyPoisonandFunGhoul, Invader Janie, Nitocolus, and lifeisgood4u for commenting!  
**

**WARNING: There will be alot of EXTRA mistakes in here due to lack of spell check.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_"Hmm . . . You must be smarter than the others. _

_Lets see about your sister . . ."_

_-Tak_

* * *

Tak kicked open the door into her homeroom. The door slammed into the adjacent wall. It bounced back, but Tak caught it with a reposition of her foot on the floor. She was fuming.

The sudden outburst of this caught everyone in the classroom off guard. Even a certain purple-haired girl sitting in the back . . .

Gaz looked up at the front of the classroom, eyebrow raised. It took her brain a moment to register that she _knew_the angry girl that just nearly kicked down the door.

_Tak?_

Gaz's Eyes widened for a moment, then returned to their default slits as she position her head to face slightly downwards. She turned off her gameslave and folded her hands on her desk. Gaz paid close attention to the not-so-new-girl in the front. _This was going to be interesting._

"Excuse me! That is not how we enter a classroom Ms. . . ." The teacher scolded. Tak glared at the teacher that dared to speak at her in such a way. The teacher stepped back a little at the notoriously, intimidating Tak.

"Tak!" She growled through her teeth. She turned her attention to the now scared classroom. Tak closed her eyes and inhaled.

_Calm down. You need to make a good impression. You need to blend in. You can do this. Just get through the period. Keep your composure. Remember your story.  
_  
Tak exhaled and opened her eyes, feeling more stable. She took at step forward, hands on her hips, letting the door close behind her.

"I'm new here." She recited, recalling the memories of her practicing 'how to be human' in the mirror. Tak swallowed, forcing the painful thought out of her head. The teacher seemed confused at first. He reached in his desk and pulled out a notebook of some kind. He flipped threw some pages, then stopped about halfway through the book. His eyes fill with recognition at the sight of the words scribbled on the paper.

"Ah, yes. Tak, the new girl. It says here that you started school yesterday. We missed you in _this_class however." The teacher said in monotone, never taking his eyes off the notebook. Tak took a few slow, long, casual steps towards him, letting her eyes wander around the classroom as she spoke.

"Many Apologies Mr. . . Wallman, is it? I was running late yesterday and didn't arrive until the middle of second period. Please forgive my tardy-ness." Tak said, glancing at his name tag. The teacher sighed, closing the notebook and letting it fall to his desk.

"Very well. Welcome to Psychology. Just take a seat and pay attention if you want to catch up." He said as he rubbed his temples and sat down in his seat, pulling out some head ache medicine. Tak looked around the room. She began to walk down the row, looking from side to side, trying to find a good seat. She remembered how crowded it was in elemetary skool. Here, however, there seem to be a few extra seats. Tak decided to sit in the back where she could hopefully have some privacy and lay low. She found a suitible place. Tak took her seat and stared at the front of the classroom along with the other children, whom were waiting on Mr. Wallman to start teaching. All but one child stared ahead, Tak quickly realized. She couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on her. She felt a wave of parinoia flash through her as she instictively thought the worse: she had been found out. Was her cloaking device malfuntioning? Did someone see her for what she truely is? Tak told herself to calm down. Ever since her banishment, she had become very parinoid.

Gathering up some courage, Tak moved her head slightly in the direction of the acusing eyes. She let her own eyes drift the rest of the way until she saw who the child was. Tak fought the urge to tense up again as she recognized the girl staring at her. It was non other than Dib's little sister. Oh, what was her name again? Gap? Naz? Tak though a moment as a lightbulb went on in her head. _Gaz!_That was the human's name. Yes, she was there when Dib and Zim teamed up to defeat her. She helped Zim win back his "mission" from her. That much Tak could never understand. Gaz didn't seem to have any passionate feelings what so ever for aliens, the human race, or her brother for that matter. Zim wanted his mission back, Dib just wanted in on some alien-fighting action (not to mention save the world), even Zim's malfunctioning, pathetic excuse for a SIR unit seemed to enjoy the amusment of her failure; So what about Gaz? What did she have to gain?

Tak found herself in the middle of a stare-off with Gaz. Neither of them hand blinked since the moment they made eye-contact. Their equally intense gazes were attracting the attention of some students.

Gaz continued to look at Tak. It was a litte weird that she was here. Wasn't she suposed to be floating through space or something? What was even more strange was the fact that she not only had the same first period as her, but she now sits right next to her. Gaz studied Tak by letting her eyes go up and down her body. She had to give her props for her disguise. It was much more convincing than Zim's, that's for sure (not that it mattered, everyone is too stupid to notice anyway). Gaz _did_like Tak's sense of style as well. Tak could have dressed like a preppy cheerleader, or some girly push over, but intead, she chose a more . . . dark fashon. Gaz admired that.

Tak noticed Gaz's eyes wander over her body. She raised an eyebrow. What was she looking at? Tak shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she finally broke eyecontact. She turned her eyes to the other side of the room, not being able to take the awkwardness any longer. Just then, the teacher finally decided to start class. The children who were watching the stand-off turned around to face the front of the class. Gaz slowly turned back in her seat.

* * *

They never said a word to each other the whole period. But every now and then, they would exchange awkward, curious glances at each other. When the bell rang, Tak quickly left the classroom. Though she kept a blank face, she desperatly wanted to get out of the class as much as possible. Gaz watched her push her way past kids to rush out the door. Soon she was out of the classroom herself.

From across the hall, Zim was hiding behind a trashcan, looking through some sort of false eye. He was spying on Tak. He watched her walk into the girl's bathroom.

"Aha! I have you now. You're not going to steal _my_ mission . . . _**TAK**_!" Zim spat her name. "Not now, nor will you _evaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr_!" He continued to talk to himself. Suddenly, his feild of vision was blocked. Gaz looked through the eye with her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?" She said. Zim jumped and dropped the device to the ground, caught off guard by the interuption. Gaz walked around to the other side of the trashcan to find a scared Zim lying on the floor. Zim looked up at Gaz, then quickly sat up with his back to the can. He looked as though he was a spy on a mission. He looked around franticly.

"Tak! She's back. She's come back to steal my mission and have her revenge ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Zim said a little too loudly in a freaked out voice.

"Yeah, I know." Gaz said, crossing her arms and looking away. "She's in my first period."

"Hmmm?" Zim said with his eyes wide and lips pursed. He looked up at Gaz, then quickly jumped to his feet. "She shares the same homeroom as you?" He asked leaning in closer to Gaz.

"That's what I said" She said with little enthusiasm. Zim stepped closer to her.

"Did she happen to say her plan for taking over Earth. What about destroying me? Is Dib involved? Hmm?" Zim said all at once, getting closer and closer to Gaz with each question. Gaz looked at him for a second, then pushed him away. She didn't like people in her face . . . even if it was her friend. Zim looked a little irritated at the shove, but didn't say anything.

"No Zim! She didn't say anything! You just need to calm down." Gaz advised. But then she thought for a moment. "Wait, what does _Dib_have to do with anything?" She asked in a suspicious tone. Zim straitened up.

"I-saw-them-walking-together!" Zim said loudly. Gaz took a step back, letting out an irritated wine, squeezing her eyes shut, and holding her ears. Zim was seriously beginning to hurt them. Gaz asumed a normal stance. She looked at Zim with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Walking together?" Gaz asked.

"Yes!" Zim shouted. Gaz winced. "Don't you find that a bit _odd_?" Zim asked in a some what quieter, frustrated tone. Gaz thought for a moment, then placed her hands on her hips and smiled a myscheivious smile.

"Not really, just ironic." Gaz said. Zim looked confused. _Ironic?_

"Ehh?" Zim let out a baffled noise as he tilted his head to the side.

"Well, think about it. You and I - Alien and Human - becames friends and started hanging out, and now they are doing the same thing." Gaz explained. Zim narrowed his eyes.

"Unlikely." He simply stated. Gaz raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why?" Gaz asked.

"Because Tak is Irken, and Irkens don't make friends unless they have something to gain." Zim explained in a cocky attitude. Gaz crossed her arms. "Besides, who would be friends with _Dib_?" Zim put emphasis on the last word. Gaz placed her hand on the chin.

"True . . ." She admitted. But then her mind processed what Zim had just said: _Irkens don't make friends unless they have something to gain_. Gaz felt a strange feeling flash through her body. It consisted of anger, but something else was there too. An emotion she didn't recognize. Could it be . . . _hurt_? None the less, Gaz didn't like it, and she didn't like being decieved.

"But _your_Irken aren't you?" Gaz said, trying to hide her emotions until Zim could explain himself. Zim's eyes shifted around.

"Sssshhhhhhh!" He hissed. "Not too loud!" He whispered. "Correct . . ."

"So . . . are you just trying to _gain_ something from this friendship?" Gaz said, with a hint of testy and impateintness in her words. Zim tilted his head a little. What was Gaz getting at? Suddenly it hit him. Oh no! He shouldn't have said that. Crap! He didn't mean _him_! He found himself stuttering.

"No, no, of _coarse_not!" He reasured.

"But you just said Irkens don't make friends unless they have something to gain." Gaz quoted.

"Well . . . I didn't mean _all_Irkens. Just Irkens like Tak." Zim defended. Gaz wasn't convinced. She leaned in closer to Zim.

"Well, what makes you different from Tak, huh?" Gaz said. Zim thought for a moment.

". . . Alot of things." Zim said. Gaz narrowed her eyes. If he was just using her to gain some sort of . . ._alterior motive_, out of the friendship, doesn't she deserve the truth? Gaz continued to glare at Zim, waiting for a better explaination.

"Um . . . it's just . . . that Tak is so . . . and I'm not . . ." was all Zim could sputter. Gaz dropped her arms from their crossed position, to her sides. Her fist became clentched. She was becoming impatient.

"All I'm saying is that Tak isn't the 'friendly type', okay?" Zim said, frustrated at the situation he was in.

"And what about you? You don't seem like the friendly type either!" Gaz blurted out. Zim opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Zim couldn't deny it. She was right.

_Maybe . . . just maybe . . . he was wrong about Tak's character . . ._

_Wait, what? What is Zim thinking?_

Zim was too lost in his thoughts to notice that Gaz was walking away. He came out of his trance and ran after her.

"Gaz, wait!" He called out to her with an outstretched hand. Gaz stopped in her tracks. She grumbled a little and mentally scolded herself for stopping, then turned around to face the loud mouth green boy. Zim ran up to her, panting.

"I- I'm sorry." Zim struggled to say in between breaths. "You're opinion is valid. I" -pant- "I should have been more careful with my choosing of words." He said. "Please," -pant- "Let me make it up to you." Gaz perked up a little. She took a step closer to Zim.

"I'm listening." Gaz said with her signature smirk.

"Tonight, after detention, I'll call you." He said, starting to breath normal again. Gaz opened one eye.

"And?" She said.

"And you may come over to my housing unit." Zim continued. Gaz shrugged.

"Okay-" She was interupted by Zim.

"AND I will have a _speacial_surprise for you." He said with a grin growing on his face. Gaz's smile grew wider as she thought about the last "surprise" Zim gave her. She liked Zim's gifts. They were always awesome. Gaz suposed she may have over-reacted a little. After all, she should cut him some slack. She knew he didn't mean it to be directed towards her.

"Alright, I'll go. You're just lucky you're my only friend." Gaz said as she turned and walked down the hallway. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be so nice." Gaz called back to Zim.

Zim watched her leave. He sighed a sigh of relief. He had come so close to losing Gaz. Now, all he had to do is come up with ANOTHER thing to impress Gaz that would top his last surprize. That shouldn't be too hard . . . right?

* * *

The rest of the day went by as usual.

Except Zim didn't get a chance to interigate Dib about Tak. And sadly for the both of them, Tak didn't have any classes with them. Infact, they didn't see her at all until lunch.

"Gaz, I hope you don't mind if I sit with someone else today." Dib asked his sister while in line for lunch. Gaz looked up at him.

"Really? You actually found someone else who can somewhat tolerate you?" She taunted. Dib didn't seem to take any offense to this. He was used to his little sister's teasing.

"We, uh, need to talk about important things. You know, fate of the world stuff. You wouldn't understand." Dib said proudly as he moved down the line. Gaz rolled her eyes. Then grinned as she thought of an idea.

"Alright, I don't mind if you sit with someone else today; as long as it's okay if _I _sit with someone else too." She said. Dib looked shocked. Here he was feeling bad about making Gaz sit all by hereself, when she wanted to sit with someone else too?

"What? Who do _you _want to sit with?" Dib asked. Just then the lunch lady plopped a spoon full of gruel onto Dib's plate. Dib gagged. Gaz just watched.

"I'll tell you if you tell me." She said, even though she already knew who he planned on sitting with. Besides, it seemed fair. If Dib lied about sitting with Tak, then Gaz wouldn't feel as bad for not telling Dib about Zim. How was it that Dib hadn't even noticed yet? Well, that just goes to show how much he really cares. Gaz didn't really care anymore if Dib found out about her and Zim. I mean, it's not like Gaz would let Dib change anything. No, Dib knew better than to mess with things in Gaz's life. Especially if they make her happy . . .

Dib looked around nervously. How could he tell Gaz that he was going to eat lunch with Tak? Did she even know she was back? She'd probably get angry with him . . . Maybe its best if Dib tell Gaz about Tak later . . .

"Umm . . . nevermind. That's fine with me." He said. Gaz looked a little disapointed, but also felt thankful. Now there was nothing stopping her from sitting with Zim . . . so long as Dib doesn't see.

* * *

**A/N: so that's the end of this chapter. don't worry, i'm already working on next chapter. Now that schools out, it shouldn't take too long to update anymore. well please tell me what you think. I know its been a while, i just hope that atleast SOME of you are still reading. I understand if most of you have gotten tired of waiting and lost interest. But if just some of you are still with me brings joy to my heart! X3**

**Well, Bye!**


	11. Lunch

**A/N: OMG I actually finished this in less than a week! It's been a while since that happed! lol. Anyways, not that much happens. The title of this chapter says it all, really. This is just what transpires during lunch. This is actually . . . pretty much filler! however, next chapter alot more happens. Next chapter will be called "Detention", so you can imagine what will happen then. Well, moving on**

**Thank you all SOOOO much for the reviews you gave me on last chapter. I read them all, and they made me so happy XD! I'm glad people are still reading, and enjoying this story. As long as you're out there, I'll be here, writing and keeping the chapters coming. So, by now I think you all know the drill:**

**Thanks to Monochrome Masquerade, Captor of the Crazies, avatar2012, blueflower1594, FallenNietehre, and aSkileneFan for commenting!**

**Not so much ZaGr in this one. More DaTr then anything. Don't expect much. It's 12:30 am and i can hardly focus, so the end probably sucks.**

**Oh, Well! =]**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_"I LIKE CORN!_

_. . . I do."_

_-Gir_

* * *

Dib took his food and walked outside. He squinted as the bright sun rays beat down on his face. He looked around the playground. Then, he found what he was looking for. Tak was sitting on the wall border of the playground. That was a place she always liked to go. She much prefered that to inside the cafeteria. Dib started walking towards her. She wasn't eating anything, which wasn't surprising; she was just sitting there, looking off into the distance, as if thinking about something serious. When Dib was about 15 feet away from her, she looked up and acknowledged his presence with a weak, polite smile as her eyes seemed to soften a little. Dib set his tray on the wall, then climbed up himself.

"Hi" He greeted. Tak didn't say anything. She just watched Dib open up his milk and take a gulp. By this time, her attempt at a smile had faded. After swallowing his nurishment, he turned his attent to Tak, who had quietly and patiently wait on Dib.

"So, do you have the list?" He asked. Tak handed him a folded up peice of paper already in her hand. Dib opened it up and began to look it over. Tak leaned back with her hands holding her up as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She swung her feet a little as she seemed to enjoy the warmth of the day.

"I translated as best I could." She said. "I'm used to writing in Irken. I hope you can understand it."

Dib read the material to himself. He didn't even know what these things were. He hoped Tak was coming along, otherwise, he would have no idea what to look for. Dib glanced up at Tak and swallowed. He felt his cheeks get hot as he stared at the sight in front of him.

The sun was hitting Tak at just the right angle so that it lit up her features in the most beautiful ways. A gentle breeze danced with her short, blue hair, causing the stands to lightly tickle her face. A muffled sigh seemed to escape from her slightly parted lips. Her big purple eyes slowly opened to look off into the distance of the sky. After a few moments of this day dream like position, Tak tilted her head in Dib's direction and locked eyes.

Dib looked away clearing his throat, feeling embarressed. How rude of him.

_Idiot! You shouldn't stare at girls! Even if they are attractive . . . like Tak._

_Gah! Stop it! Stop thinking like that! You have a job to do, so stop making a fool of yourself infront of Tak!_

_Who knows what she'll think if you keep blushing like a tomato!_

Dib looked back at Tak with an awkward smile on his face.

"So, um, do you want to sneak over to Zim's house tonight to get this stuff?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm down for whatever, really. Atleast I'll have _something_ to do! And I _would_like to mess with Zim . . ." Tak said with a hint of a smile on her last word. Dib smiled. This was actually going to be fun.

"Great! As soon as I'm out of Detention, It's straight to Zim's!" Dib exclaimed as he extented the spork in his hand as if it were a sword. Tak raised an eyebrow.

"Detention? What did you get detention for?" Tak asked. Dib's triupfant feeling instantly shattered. His smile escaped his face as he dropped his spork. He was silent for a few seconds until he mumbled a response.

"Hmm?" He forced out of his closed mouth. Tak just looked at him.

"I asked what did you do, Dib?" Tak asked again, sounding a little more stern. Dib finally let his extened arm drop

"I, uh . . . you don't want to know." Dib said, beginning to blush again at the thought he tried to desperatly to forget. Tak turned all but her legs toward Dib, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh, come on, Dib! You owe me, you know! After all, I _am _helping you on your little expedition tonight, aren't I?" She crossed her arms. "You know I don't _have _to go! So I think I deserve to know the reasoning of your soon to be tardiness!" Tak informed. Dib sighed. She had a point.

"Well,basicly, I ran off of school campus a few days ago without permission." Dib admitted. Tak raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" She asked. Darn! Dib was afraid she would ask more!

"But . . . but it's really embarrising." Dib squeaked out.

"Oh come on! It can't be that bad!" Tak said with a small smile. She scooted closer and softened her expression. "You can tell me" Dib sighed. Here it goes.

"I ran away becaused . . . me and Zim sorta . . . kissed . . ." He said feeling utterly humilated. Tak's smile faded as her eyes widened. She looked at Dib a bit longer to make sure he was serious. When this was confirmed, Tak threw her head back and started laughing uncontrollably.

Dib felt his cheeks blush again as his embarrisment grew. He looked down with his eyes closed. Tak had squeezed her eyes shut and covered them with one hand, as she tried to control herself.

"Why would you _do_that?" She asked, still chuckling. Dib looked up at Tak.

"It's not like I _wanted_ to! It was an accident. You see, Willy pushed me . . ." Dib defended. The was a moment of silence. Then Tak busted out laughing again even harder. She hugged her stomac as she pointed at Dib. She seemed like she was trying to say something, but was laughing to hard to succeed. Dib narrowed his eyes as he stared straight ahead of him. He propped his head up with his hand. Tak continued to laugh. After about a minute or too, Tak seemed to calm down a little. Dib looked over at her.

"Are you finished yet?" He said in an annoyed tone. Tak was still chuckling, but managed to respond.

"I'm done, I'm done." She said while chuckling. She placed her hand on Dib's shoulder as she looked down and shock her head.

"You poor, poor kid!" She said smiling. She sat up and resumed her position from earlier; holding herself up with her arms, leaning back and swinging her legs. She took a breath and exhaled loudly. "That's got to be the funniest thing I've heard since I arrived here." She admitted. Dib straightened up a little, then got in a compfortable position as well. After a moment of silence, Tak spoke up again.

"So, after you're done with detention, stop by the weenie stand and from there . . . we begin our mission." He voice was low on the last part.

Dib smiled.

* * *

Zim was looking through binoculars that he was holding in his hands. He was sitting at his usual table, and was spying on Dib and Tak through the window.

". . . What are you two _planning_ . . .?" Zim said to himself as he watched Tak hand a peice of paper to Dib.

* * *

Gaz watched Dib go outside, then sit next to Tak. Once she was sure he couldn't see, she headed in Zim's direction. He didn't even notice her until she sat down.

"Hey." She greeted as she set her tray down on the table.

"Gah!" Zim jumped in shock and snaped his head around to Gaz, who had a grin on her face.

"Must you _always_ sneak up on me like that!" He hissed. Gaz kept her grin.

"Well, it _is_ pretty funny." She said. Zim grumbled a little but didn't say anything else. He began to look through the binoculars again. Gaz scooped up some gross looking corn, and put it in her mouth. She shivered a little as her taste buds got used to the nasty-ness of the food. She began to chew. Gaz glanced over at Zim. She scooted a little closer to him, then checked to see what he was looking at. Gaz looked out the window and saw Dib and Tak sitting together. Just as she had suspected. Gaz swallowed her food, forcing it down.

"You discover anything interesting yet?" Gaz asked.

"Nothing to report . . ." Zim said with an impateint voice.

"What do you think they are planning?" Gaz asked, as she scooped up another spoon full of corn. Zim put the binoculars down and directed his attention to Gaz.

"You think they are planning something, too?" Zim said with worry in his voice.

"Well it's pretty obvious. Just look at them. You said so yourself." Gaz said with an eybrow raised, then put the corn in her mouth.

"I know _I_ said it. But for _you _to agree makes it that much more probable!" Zim explained. Gaz swallowed, thinking it over. She hummed to herself as she looked back at the two kids sitting on the wall.

"Well, I can't be sure _why_ Tak came back. It seems pretty clear that her and Dib have joined forces, though. For what? I can't be sure of that either. The only advice I can offer is watch you back, Zim. Because you're name is probably on their list." Gaz said in a proffesional manner. Zim just looked at Gaz for a second. _How was she able to gather all of that in just a few seconds? Sure, Gaz was pretty smart . . . but this was something different . . ._ Zim looked over at Tak and Dib.

"You're most likely correct, Gaz-human." Zim said, squinting his eyes in concentration as he focused on the kids further.

* * *

As stated before, the rest of the day went on as usual. Zim and Dib seeme to have a bit more tention between them then usual. Then, at the end of the day, when the bell rang, Zim and Dib made their way to Detention to meet their fate.

* * *

**A/N: Yup there it is. I stopped there because . . . i still have to decide on some more details in the next chapter. That and I'm tired and felt like stopping. Next chapter should be up in a little bit. Maybe not tommorow . . . mabe not the day after . . . but soon my friends . . . soon . . .**

**lol, okay i obviously need to get some sleep so, thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think. Any questions? Add them to your comment. Until next time,**

**Bye!**

**~Toph15AVATAR**


	12. Detention

**A/N: OMG! This actually took me a long time to write. for some reason, i found it difficult. More so than normal. I had a little bit of writers block for a while, so thats another reason for the lateness. Again, sorry for the long wait. I'm sure half of you dont even read this any more. And i understand if you have lost interest. I do take a while. But don't ever think that I stopped writing for good. As I said before, i will finish this darn it!**

**Anyways, thanks to ****Captor of the Crazies****, ****avatar2012****, ****Monochrome Masquerade****, ****blueflower1594****, and ****Invader Shade**** for commenting! I'm so glad you guys are still reading and enjoying this X3. As usual, there are probably alot of grammar mistakes, i apologize ahead of time. I really need to get word so i can spell check this junk . . .**

**Now, on with Chapter 12! Enjoy!**

* * *

_Sleep peacfully now, for it is the last peacful _

_sleep you will know from THIS MOMENT ON!_

_-Zim_

* * *

Dib read the words on the door to himself.

_Detention_.

He gulped, then slowly began to open the door . . . when someone grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall.

"Aaaahhh!" He cried out. When he made contact with the wall, he let out an _Oof_sound. He looked up at his attacker and saw non other than his green, arch-nemesis. The enemy had a serious and angry look in his narrowed eyes. He tightened his grip on Dib's shirt and leaned closer to intimidate him.

"I ask you once more, _filthy human _. . . what are you and Tak planning. And WHY is she even here? I know you know, Dib. And if you know what's best for you . . ." Dib felt something pressed against his stomac, ". . . then you'll cooperate." Zim hissed. Dib looked down at his belly and saw a laser gun in Zim's hand. His eyes widened.

"What is that thing?" He asked with fear in his voice. Zim grinned.

"Oh this? I'm glad you asked. You like it? I invented this little thing myself. It's a stun gun. It renders all living organisms unconsious." Zim boasted, his eyes got serious again. "Now . . . _Tell me_!"

Dib narrowed his eyes. With one swift movement, he grunted as he pushed Zim away from him with all his might. Zim stumbled back, surprised by the power behind the force. He tripped over his own foot and fell to the floor, releasing the laser stun gun as it went sliding across the floor. Dib's eyes followed the path of it as he sprang towards the gun. Dib ran a few steps and leaped over Zim. However, Zim grabbed his foot, causing Dib to fall to the ground. Zim then attempted to get up, but Dib wouldn't allow it. Dib kicked Zim in the Jaw. Dib began to crawl forward, but Zim grabbed him and pulled him back.

The two began to wrestle eachother. After long moments of fighting and slowly making their way towards the gun, Dib broke free. He got up and ran to the gun. He picked it up and smiled triumpfantly, but his smile started to fade as he heard Zim running towards him from behind. Zim jumped on Dib's back, causing Dib to fall to the ground. The impact had knocked the wind out of him. Zim was sitting on Dibs back. He snatched the gun out of Dib's grasp. All Dib could to is cough and gasp for air.

"Victory for Zim!" He shouted. Suddenly, Dib threw Zim off of him with a powerful kick. He then sat up and tried to regain his breath. He struggled to get up and run towards Zim, but he managed to do it, gasping the whole way. Dib grabbed the gun and yanked on it. Zim yanked back. They began to yank and tug on it back and forth. Just then, the door swung open.

"Hey!" Yelled a large, tall woman. The two students looked up at the scary teacher. The lady grabbed the gun and lifted it in the air. Zim and Dib didn't let go, so they were still holding on.

"Just what do you kids think you're doing?" She shouted. Dib only caughed. Zim just stuttered.

"We . . . uh, we were just-" He was cut off.

"Get inside, NOW!" She screamed. The two flinched. The fat woman's eyes fell on the gun they all held. "And it's against school policy to bring toy guns to school! You could get in alot of trouble with this! Besides, aren't you kids a little too old to be playing with these things?" She asked.

Dib struggled to breathe. He tried to force a few words out.

_It's not a toy, it's real! And this kid is no kid, he's an alien!_

But all Dib could say was a bunch of coughs, wheezes, and grunts.

"Now, MOVE IT!" She comanded, as she flung them into the detention room, forcing them to release the gun. Dib and Zim hit the wall, _hard_, and slid down onto the floor. It was there that Dib was starting to regain his breath. Zim stood up and looked around the classroom. There was 4 other kids in the room. One of them happened to be Torque Smacky, who promptly glared at the two new arrivals.

"TAKE YOUR SEATS!" The lady boomed. Zim jumped and ran to an empty desk. Dib got up and limped over to a desk, holding himself up along the way. The lady walked up to the front of the classroom behind the desk. She slipped the gun into a drawer.

"You can have your parents pick this up after detention!" She stood up, slowly and dramaticly. She directed her attention towards all six students now. "My name is Ms. Torement. For the next hour, I will be watching you little _diseases_ very closely. You are here because you are the worst this school has to offer! You kids think you can just run around and do what ever you please, huh?" She stepped forward and looked at Torque Smacky. "Steal food from the lunchline!" She looked over at someone else. "Cheat on your math quiz!" She moved down the row and glared at a differnet child now. "Threaten a teacher!" She looked at a girl now. "Make out with your boyfriends!" The girl rolled her eyes.

Ms. Torement finally looked between the two kids left. "And leaving school grounds without permission!" She said in disgust. "You all make me sick! We have rules for a reason! With out them, there would be no order!" She turned back and sat in her seat behind the desk. "Now I suggest using this time to think about what you've done, or study for school. Because I don't want to hear a single noise starting NOW!" She yelled as she pulled out a book.

It was quiet for a long time. Everyone looked back and forth at eachother. Ten minutes of silence had passed before they knew it.

Zim glared at Dib from across the room with angry eyes. He felt his hands clench into fists as he saw the dirt child yawn. _Getting comfortable_! How dare he! Oh, how Zim would make him pay! Zim had been stressed out all day. First discovering Tak was back. Zim was shocked enough at that single fact alone. But when Zim dicovered the Dib walking with her, talking with her, eating lunch with her, recieving notes from her, that was enough to push Zim over the edge. He just _knew_ they were planning something. It was the only logical explanation. They must of teamed up to try and bring him down. And Zim still hasn't discovered _just _what they ARE planning. Zim knew that if they teamed up, then he wouldn't be able to stop them. They would be too powerful. So Zim _had_ to discover their plan before its too late. Here Zim was, all tensed up, angrier than usual . . . and Dib was over there falling asleep! He's just asking for it . . .

And if the whole Dib/Tak thing wasn't enough, he got into and argument with Gaz. An argument that almost cost him friendship.

Gaz . . . he had almost lost her.

And he WILL unless he comes up with a briliant idea to impress her again! Zim had tried and failed to think of something all day. He couldn't think of anything that would move her in the slightest. Zim couldn't think straight. He was angry, stressed, frustrated . . . and a little scared, he hated to admit.

Zim realized that he was breaking his pencil. He directed his attention from Dib, to his desk, now covered in splintered peices of wood. He growled a little at the mess then used his arm to sweep it off his desk. The bits of pencil flew threw the air and bounced across the floor, rolling to a stop atop of Torque Smacky's feet. He was snapped out of his daze and looked down at his shoe. He looked up at Zim with an angry look on his face. He lifted his fist, and punched it into his own hand in attempt to threaten Zim. But he didn't pay attention to the bully. Zim had more important things worry about.

Zim crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. He was gritting his teeth in frustration. He soon found himself digging into his arms with his claws. He released his flesh and rubbed the sore spots. He leaned forward and gripped the front of the desk and he let his head fall slightly downwards so that he was now looking at his desk.

Think, Zim, _Think_! What could they possibly be planning? Were they going to try and capture him and torture him? He bet they'd LOVE to see that. Maybe Tak would help Dib disect him. Tak knew the Irken anotomy and would probably be more then happy to show Dib where Zim's most painful spots are. What if Tak was back to steal his mission? But if that was true, then why would Dib okay with it? Did they have an aliance of some sort, where if Tak would help Dib get rid of Zim, then Dib would let Tak take over? Or had Tak said she wouldn't in order to gain Dib's trust. Or worst of all; Would Dib and Tak take over the world . . . together?

Zim breathed out, dimissing the last thought from his head. No. As much as Dib hated Zim, Dib was even more passionate about something else. Protecting Earth. He wouldn't be okay with _anyone _taking over it.

Zim sighed and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt a wave of nervousness and anxiety sweep over him.

Why was Tak back? The only logical explanation Zim could think of was to try and steal his mission again. But if that was true, then why go through this whole "skool child" charade again? Why bother messing around and taking her time. Why hang out with Dib?

Zim rubbed his eyes, getting frustrated that he couldn't come to any sort of conclusion on anything. He figured he would give himself a break from asking himself these random questions.

Dib felt himself dozing off. He opened his eyes. Maybe he should read back over the list Tak gave him. So he would be better prepared for tonight. But if he did that, Zim might see it. And that would ruin everthing. Dib looked up at the clock and sighed. He still had a while to go before they would let him out of here. Dib still had to go home and get ready. He began to mentally make a list if what things he should bring. Dib rested his head on his desk, his arms used as cushons. He began to daydream about later on, and was soon in a light sleep.

A few moments later, Ms. Torement got up and left the classroom to run a quick erand. She said she's be back in exactly four and a half minutes.

Zim watched her closely as she walked towards the door, turn the knob, and walk outside. As soon as the door shut behind her, Zim didn't hesitate. He slid out of his seat and snuck over to Dib.

Dib was lightly snoring. He was lost in his dream land.

* * *

_He dreamt that he and Tak had succeded in their mission to steal the materials needed from Zims'. He dreamt that he and Tak had fixed the retrieval claw and used it to capture Zim and turn him over to the authorities. He saw himself recieve a medal of honor from President Man and was finally apreciated by his peers. He and Tak solved many paranormal mysteries side by side as partners. He then dreamed that he and Tak worked on her ship, then flew into space. It was gorgeous. Tak showed him the most beautiful areas in the universe. They saw different galaxies, planets, stars, black holes, red giants, and many other things that Dib could not even begin to describe or comprehend. _

Dib

_Dib felt Tak's hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her. She had a small smile on her face along with a light, blue-green blush across her cheeks. Her eyes glistened with the light of the stars captured in her purple orbs. She spoke again._

I need to tell you something.

_Dib had a matching smile on his face as well as his eyes went half lidded. He turned his entire body to face her. Tak stared at Dib for a moment, then slowly began to close the gap between them when she opened her mouth to say something else to him._

WAKE UP!

_Tak yelled as she slapped Dib across the face, her smile vanished and her face was that of rage. Dib felt a stinging pain on his face and rubbed it. He looked up, confused._

I said WAKE UP, DIB-BEAST!

_Tak screamed as she grabbed Dib by the shirt and began to violently shake him. She drew her hand back and slapped him once again across the face as she ley out an loud grunt._

* * *

Dib awoke with a sore cheek. He gasped as he was ripped out of his pleasant dream. He looked up and saw Zim infront of him, shooting him an evil, death glare. Dib rubbed his cheek with one hand as his face turned to anger. He rubbed his eye with the other hand. Zim narrowed his eyes even more as he scooped Dib up by his shirt. Zim's claws dug into the fabric as Dib clutched Zim wrists for balance. They glared at eachother. Zim seemed to be growling.

"Do not attempt to resist me any longer. Give Zim what he wants and I will _consider_ going easy on you!" Zim threatened as he pulled Dib closer.

"Are you guys going to kiss again?" Torque chimed in teasing the rivals.

Both Zim and Dib's head snapped around to face Torque, a sickened and disgusted expression on their faces. They turned back to face eachother. Their eyes slowly fell on their hands. Dib blushed as he registered what Zim had just said. It _did_ sound pretty wrong when you think about it. Zim blushed as well when he took notice of the position they were in. At the same time, they both pushed away from each, letting out a grunt. They recoiled from eachother.

"Seriously, can't it wait until you guys get home." Someone else said.

"Yeah. Get a room!" said someone else.

Now, both Dib and Zim's expressions changed from disgust to anger. They turned their glared to the students that acused them of liking eachother.

"FOOLS! Do you really think that me and the Dib-monkey are in ANY kind of human relations?" Zim shouted. "The very sight of this worm-creature reminds me of DOOKIE!"

"Uh huh . . . sure it does, fags . . ." A particularly cruel student said.

Zim wondered what a _fag _was . . .

Dib's anger rose at the word. He jumped up on his desk.

"I am NOT gay! I don't like guys and I CERTAINLY don't like Zim! Get that through your head, people! I like girls!" Dib shouted.

"Oh really? When was your last girlfriend, huh?"

Dib felt a little hurt at the insult. That was an irrelevant question. Just because he never had a girlfriend before, doesn't mean he's gay!

"That's what I thought, faggot!" the same child said.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Someone shouted.

Everyone looked over to find the girl who had apperantly got in trouble for "making out with her boyfriend" with a frustrated look on her face. She had remained silent until now.

"That was just uncalled for! You don't call people that! If they're gay, then let them be gay! They let you be straight!" She said a little more calmly.

"But, _we're not gay_!" Zim and Dib said in unison.

But the girl had already turned back around and continued her texting, leaving the other mean students in shock. Finnally Torque said something.

"Whatever . . ." He said plainly.

Just then, Ms. Torement walked back in to find the children out of their seats, up on the desk, texting, and eating. Rage consumed her features.

"WHAT ARE YOU LITTLE BRATS DOING? SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" she screamed, scaring all of the students into doing what she said.

The rest of detention was boring once again. Ms. Torement didn't leave the classroom again, so the children were forced to just sit there and daydream. Zim kept glaring at Dib, his rage still present in his being. Dib would return a glare whenever he noticed Zim's. Finnally, 4:15 came around. Zim tried to catch Dib outside the classroom, but the little beast had already run away. Zim had half a mind to follow Dib home and interigate him more, but he didn't have the time. He still had to get home and plan something big for Gaz.

Zim marched home, frustrated. He had no idea what he was going to do for Gaz. He probably should have thought about it more, be he was too preoccupied with Dib. Zim had still made no progress in discovering Dib's secret with Tak. For all Zim knows, they could be planning on destroying him right now, at any given moment.

But if Dib was planning on exposing him . . . normally the human would be teasing Zim with it, rubbing it in his face. Not playing dumb . . .

_Maybe . . . Gaz was right . . . maybe they aren't planning anything . . . just this once . . . I might be over-reacting . . ._

Wait, what? There it was again! That little voice in his head that kept showing up when he was thinking about how much he hates Dib and Tak! Why did it keep bothering him? Zim did what he usually does when he hears this voice. He ignored it. However . . . it has become harder and harder to overlook in the past couple of days . . . but that's probably nothing.

Zim continued his walk home, a nervous wreck, tring to figure out his dilemma with Dib and Tak, and plans for Gaz.

* * *

**Membrane house**

Dib practically ran inside. He threw his stuff in his room as he quickly rummaged through his things trying to find the tools he would need for tonight. He found a couple of gadgets, then ran down to the lab. He searched for a long time trying to find the perfect spy stuff. Then, he quickly got dressed into an invisibility suit his dad invented. Dib was really excited and nervous for tonight. He should probably get going.

After all,

He didn't want to keep Tak waiting . . .

* * *

**A/N: fwew! so there it is. I hope you liked it. There was some Dib vs. Zim rivalry going on in here. they haven't really had that in a while, so i really wanted to put it in. I hope it was ok!**

**Well, Next chapter . . . I'm still comming up with a name for that one . . . but let me just say . . . it gets alot more . . . juicy =] and the plot begins to thicken . . . as well as friendships become alot closer. So far in this story, there has only been friendship, a tiny bit of action, and very little humor, but the next two chapters will consist of Angst, hurt/comfort, drama, and some more friendship.**

**Which brings me to an announcement i've been meaning to make. After the next one or two chapters, we will have reached the end of part one of this story! YAAAAYYYY XD**

**So, what does this mean? Really nothing that important. It's mainly for orginization on my part. This means that I will be taking a small break just so i can gather my thoughts more on the details to come. It gets alot more complex than it has been in the first part. In Part 2, there will be Action/Adventure, Friendship, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Tragity (a tiny bit), Betrayal, Family, and the biggest part that you guys are looking forward to, ACTUAL ROMANCE XD! OMG i know right?**

**lol, well this is only two parts. But don't worry, i'm not going to start it on a different story or anything. it will be continued right here, only i will have taken a break, and it will be considered part 2.**

**So anyways, please review, i'd love to see what you think, and i'd love to see who is actually still reading lol.**

**Well, see yall next chapter!**


	13. Defective

**A/N: Hello Everyone!**

**Yes after a very long time, it is finally finished! The 13th Chapter of the story is now COMPLETE! Yay! And just in time for Thanks Giving too lol (did not plan that)**

**The chapter you are about to read is a very important factor in the story. You could probably guess what's gonna happen just by reading the title (especially if you've read "The Trial") But if not, then you are in for a surprise. I won't say anything else =]**

**So this is probably the longest chapter I've written (atleast it feels like it). I could have spit it up and uploaded the first part of it a while ago, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I hope you guys enjoy this one. I worked REALLY hard on it. Although, I'm not sure if I am completly happy with the way this one turned out. Let me know if there is anyway I could have improved it.**

**Thanks to Captor of the Crazies, Invader Tia, Monochrome Masquerade, Invader Cakez, blueflower1594, Nitocolus, avatar2012, RavenFollower13, shade empire, and X-Crimson Fate-X for commenting.**

**OHH! I almost forgot! I just recently finished a video. If you'll notice, I took one of them off of the list on my profile. Can anyone guess what video? Anyone? Right! As a request from a friend of mine, I finally completed, and uploaded "No Good Deed." (sorry it took me so long) As before, it is set on Private until . . . let's say 11/26. I wanted to thank you all for still reading this and being patient with me, so I am only showing you guys the video first. (if the date has past, then go search it, it's now on public =])**

**Please excuse my spelling errors, I still haven't gotten Microsoft word yet.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_You're here as punishment for almost _

_annihilating our civilization!_

_-Sizzlor_

* * *

Zim walked in the base, talking to himself.

"What am I going to do?" He said aloud. "I'm suposed to call Gaz right about now! I'm running out of TIME!" He said dramatically. Zim thought to himself a little more. He suddenly felt the urge to summon his dog. "GIR!"

There was no response.

"GIR, COME HERE!"

. . . Still nothing. Zim was starting to get angry.

"Gir? Gir! WHERE ARE YOU!" Zim shouted, walking around the room, looking for his disobediant SIR Unit.

"Master, the SIR unit isn't here. He's been gone all day." The computer said. Zim stopped in his tracks. He narrowed one eye then looked up at the ceiling.

"What? Where did he go?" Zim asked, trying to maintain his cool.

"I think he said something about 'fishing in the forrest'. He left this morning, right after you." The Computer said in a bored tone. Zim began to growl in frustration.

"That horrible robot!" Zim shouted in anger. He then summoned a transmition device that grew out of his PAK and up infront of him. A hollographic screen apeared. Static covered it. Zim tapped his foot impaitiently, waiting for his minion to pick up. Gir finnally answered the call.

". . . He he he! Oh, hold on, guys, I have a call." Gir said to someone off screen. There were trees behind him, and there seemed to be some sort of drums playing in the background. Gir directed his attention towards his green master.

"Hi there!" Gir waved with much enthusiasm, a huge smile across his robotic face. Zim stared at him. His eye twitched.

"Gir, I need you to come home, NOW. We have much work to do!" Zim said, struggling to keep calm. Gir looked off at something off screen with sad eyes. He turned back to the alien, pointing in the direction of where he was just looking.

"B-But they're about to light the flamingo on fire." Gir said in a somewhat winey tone, eyes still sad.

"We don't have time for this! I want you home as soon as physically possible! DO YOU HEAR ME!" Zim yelled at the SIR. Gir looked up and placed his disguised, doggy hand up to his metal, exposed chin. He squinted his eyes, thinking.

"Hmmmm . . . I thiiiiiiink . . . I will go home . . . _as soon as the cerimony is complete_!" Gir said cutely at first, but said evilly at the end, his eyes low.

"WHAT?" Zim screamed.

"Bye-bye, Master!" Gir said, a smile returned to his face, as he waved and cut the transmition.

"You DARE- Hello? Gir!" Zim tryed to stop Gir from hanging up, but he was too late.

"I swear, that little android gets harder and harder to control" Zim said, rubbing his temples. He snapped his head back up to the ceiling, a glare in his eyes.

"Why did you let him leave in the first place? You could have stopped him you know!" Zim scolded the computer, blaming it on him.

"Me? But, he does this kind of stuff all the time!" The computer defended.

"Yes, but you should have been more cautious! I need Gir here, so he can help me plan something for Gaz!" Zim said.

"Well, how was I suposed to know you would be doing something ELSE for that human female . . ." Zim raised and eyebrow, then folded his arms.

"Do I detect _sarcasm _in your robotically generated voice?" Zim question.

". . . Master, I am growing concerned with your recent obbsession for the Earth child . . . It's not healthy Irken behavior." The computer said. Zim looked confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about! What obession?"

"Well . . . You have been hanging around her ALOT lately . . . and you don't seem to be making, or even attemting, any progress."

"Heh? Progress in what?"

"Wasn't the whole reason for this false friendship was for you to get information and learn her weaknesses so you can use her demonic powers for world domination?" The computer reminded. Zim's eyes slightly widened. He had forgotton all about his original plan.

"I . . . uh . . ." was all he could sputter.

"Or, let me guess . . . you forgot about that didn't you? Just like you forgot to take revenge on that large headed kid?"

Zim just remembered that as well. He opened his mouth to say something, but the computer continued talking.

"And like you forgot to pump her for information and try and make her tick whenever she was here the FIRST time?" Zim didn't say anything, So the computer continued.

"Now, you're inviting her over AGAIN? So what's your plan _this_time? Or do you even have one . . ." The computer questioned. Zim squinted one eye.

"Ofcourse I . . . What are you implying?"

"Master, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you actually . . . _enjoy_, spending all this time with her." Zim's expression turned to anger.

"Ha!" He spat. "As if I would _enjoy _the company of any _hyooman_! She's just as pathetic as the rest of them! No different . . ." Zim defended, as he walked towards the window. If the computer had eyes, they would be rolling.

"Yeah right, Zim. We both know that is not what you really think. You consider her an equal, remember? She's _special_, right? Like you said: You feel the need to treat her with respect." Zim clentched his fists and gritted his teeth. He turned back to the ceiling and pointed an acusing finger at it.

"Enough of your _assumptions_! How dare you talk this way to your master! How dare you even _suggest_that . . . that . . ." Zim trailed off in his words and finished his sentence in his mind.

_. . . that I could actually care about someone . . ._

The computer continued with his lecturing.

"You also haven't called the Tallest lately."

"Well . . . I've been busy. I guess I just forgot . . ."

"You've never been too busy to call them before. You always make time for them. How can you just _forget_? That's so unlike you . . . You're not acting like yourself lately."

"I . . ." Zim didn't notice until now that he had neglected his Almighty Tallests.

_Maybe the computer had a point . . ._

Gah! There was that voice again! Zim was so caught up in his internal argument that didn't notice the computer studing him.

"Are . . . are you okay? It sounds like you're mumbling to yourself."

"I'm fine!" Zim snapped, not wanting the computer to find out about this voice in his head that Zim has recently started to hear.

Around the same time he started talking to Gaz . . .

The computer would just blow it out of proportion like what he is doing now with other small things.

"Master, I am also curious as to why you haven't thought up any insane plans for taking over Earth in a while."

"I'm . . . working on it. Gaz is apart of it! I need to gain her trust, then discover her weakness, then study her more, then . . ."

"Then what? It's seems she trusts you enough now, you discovered that her body can't handle Irken food and she hates getting thrown out of arcades, what else do you need to study?" Zim placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, if you must know . . . we kind of got into an arguement today, and I have to make it up to her . . ." Zim explained. ". . .But only so I can regain her trust!" Zim added in his defense. "So unless you can give me any ideas as to how I can impress her again, I comand you to shut your . . . what ever you talk with!" Zim yelled as he began to walk to the toilet.

"An arguement with her? You're arguing with it? Why don't you just kidnap her already! That would be much easier!" Zim stopped walking, feeling angry as the computer refered to Gaz as an "It" like she was just another experiment. How dare the computer talk about her like that!

_B-but wait . . . _isn't_ she just another experiment? _

Go away, you horrible little voice! You're not welcome here!

"And ideas to _impress_ her? Do you realize how soft you sound right now? Since when do you 'impress' _humans_?" The computer said. Zim turned his head over his shoulder.

"Since when to you ask all these questions about my plans? You never cared before!" Zim counter-acused.

"Since I've been stuck with you for over three years now and you've acomplished nothing! Almost all of the other computers and their assigned Invaders have completed their mission and are now on vacation! I want my turn already! Do you have any idea how _boring _this is for me?"

"You think I enjoy living on this filthy planet? I HATE IT! I want to go home too, but The Tallest trusted me to conquer this acursed place! We can't let them down!" Zim reasured. He gulped. "Even if it has been three years . . ." He continued quietly to himself.

There was silence for a while. Finnally, the computer broke it with another statement.

"I think your relationship with this human has gotten beyond your control. It's affecting your behavior as well. You seem to be . . . changing." Zim became aggrivated at the acusation the computer made.

"No it's not!" He said plainly. "My behavior is normal, and AMAZING!"

"You're playing arcade games with her, buying her pizza, walking to school with her, killing genectically engineered pigs on the moon with her, having all of these 'great conversations' with her, and now you're about to call her and invite her over for the SECOND time! It sounds that you genuinly care about what she thinks or has to say. I'm beginning to wonder if this 'fake friendship' is even fake at all . . ."

"LIES! You speak nonsense, computer! Invaders need NO ONE! Our PAKs don't allow us to feel or desire friendship. Emotions other than rage, hatred, lust for destruction, and loyalty to the empire, are not required. You know that!" Zim yelled all at once, wishing the computer would just shut up already and leave him alone. The computer sighed.

"Yes . . . I do know that." The computer said. Zim was hoping that he would accept defeat. But the computer spoke up again after another long pause. He spoke more timidly this time, as if he wasn't sure if he should ask or not.

". . . Do you think that . . . there may be something wrong with-" Zim cut him off, consumed by rage that the computer would suggest such a thing.

"THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY PAK!" He screamed with his eyes shut tight, fists shaking with anger. "My PAK is perfectly fine, and SUPEIRIOR as ever!" Zim quickly defended.

"Master, I was only suggesting that there may be a possibility of some slight malfunctioning . . ."

"I disagree, you are incorrect!"

"Yeah, I better run a scan just to be sure . . ." A tenticle desended down from the mass of cables tangled above. "Have you been feeling electrical shocks lately?" The computer continued as the metal snake was inches away from contact with the PAK. Zim turned around and saw the probe. His eyes widened and he jumped over and ontop of it, crunching it with his feet. It wiggled underneath him.

"STOP IT! No more! Seize your lecturing. Zim is perfectly fine! If I want to run a scan, THEN I'LL ASK YOU! Until then, _don't do that again_!" Zim shouted, scolding the computer.

"Alright, alright! Jeez!" The computer said, retracting the cable, causing Zim to fall on his back. He grunted in annoyance as his wig got messed up. He stood up and took if off.

"Now, I'm going down below to call the Tallest. Let me know when Gir finnally decides to come home."

"Oh, NOOOWWW you wanna call the Tallest. What a coinsidence."

"Be quiet! Tak is back, and it would be wrong of me to not let them know. Maybe they could come and remove her . . . no, that wouldn't look good. Well, if I got rid of her once, I can do it again. They'll just be even more impressed. But, I have to go tell them and make them aware." Zim said first to the computer, then started talking to himself. Zim took out his contacts.

"Whatever." The computer said, sick of arguing.

Zim pretended to act normal, but he couldn't help but feel a little concerned himself.

_Maybe it's not such a bad idea to run a scan . . . there could be something seriously wrong . . ._

Zim was getting tired of this annoying voice, entering his mind as it pleased like it owned the place. It just wouldn't go away. He tried to ignore it and press onward, but it continued.

_Why must you be so difficult? Even if Gaz is the cause of your discomforting changes, is that such a horrible thing?_

Zim became very angry. He was fed up. He squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his hands over where his ears should be and fell to his knees.

_Sure you're acting different, but it's like Gaz said. Sometimes different is good. And Gaz is usually right . . ._

"SHUT UP! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME OR MY PAK! The computer is WROOOOOOONNGG! Be gone with you already you stupid voice!" Zim demanded, shouting very loudly, catching the computer off guard.

"Zim! Who are you talking to?" The computer said.

"No one! Mind your business!"

"What voice are you talking about? You're hearing voices? I _told you _something was wrong!"

"There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Just look at yourself!" A full length mirror apeared out of no where and hovered infront of Zim. He refused to look at it. Zim pushed it away from him as his head was turned in the opposide direction, his eyes shut.

"Get that OUT OF MY FACE!" He demanded. Zim's shove had caused the mirror to fall backwards and shatter across the floor. There was a loud crashing noise from the impact. Zim was breathing hard. Still on his knees, he fell forward, catching himself with his hands. He looked at the floor underneath him, panting. After he caught his breath, he slowly tilted his head up and saw his many faces inside the shards of glass scattered across the ground. Zim's expression softened a little. His face no longer showed raging denial, but instead, exhausted confusion. Zim looked at his reflections, from left to right. His head slowly tilted downwards to a rather large peice of glass by his leg. He reached down to pick it up. He stared into it, studing his face, trying to read something that was hidden within. Not taking his eyes off of himself, his hand slowly made its way up to his cheek, right under his eye. He softly touched his green skin and gazed into the mirror further. His eyes squinted as they turned slightly sad. He saw something that he . . . didn't quite recognize. He searched more, studying himself. Zim finnally lowered the piece of glass, but his gaze remained unfazed. Maybe something inside him _did_ change . . .

_. . . What's wrong with me?_

"B-but, there's nothing wrong with me . . ." Zim whispered to himself in disbelief. The computer, however, heard.

"Now will you let me run a scan? It couldn't hurt."

Zim, still holding his gaze, began to slowly shake his head.

". . . No." He said, still somewhat, not present in reality. But his eyebrows furrowed as he thought more, squinting his eyes. His face scrunched up a little.

"No . . ." He said again. Something similar to a smile grew on his face as the corner of his mouth tightened up. He let out a single chuckle as his old self slowly returned. He closed his eyes and and shook his head some more.

"No." He simply stated, as he got back up on his feet. He stood tall with his fists on his hips.

"I . . . have just been . . . feeling ill the past few days, that's all. No more talking about this. I'll be fine soon enough. But you are correct about my neglection of the Tallest. I agree with you there. I must call them immediatly." Zim took a confident step forward, but stopped when her heard a crack. He looked down and noticed the broken glass everywhere.

"I'll . . . um, have Gir clean this later." Zim continued to the toilet. He stepped in and flushed himself down.

Zim stood still as he desended down the tube. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves. He didn't want to look like a mess in front of the Tallest. Zim exhaled, eyes still closed.

"Calm yourself, everything is fine. Remember, you are Zim! Almighty and powerful! You're just . . . stressed out. Yeah, thats it . . . stressed out. It has nothing to do with your PAK. The computer is just being silly. All these years of boredom has just put him on edge. You are perfectly fine." Zim told himself out loud, trying to comfort himself, and justify his actions. Ever since Zim was little, he would tell himself things that would soothe him when he was upset. It's where his habit of talking to himself all began.

Zim opened his eyes, feeling a little better. Though he still had some lingering doubts, he was able to push them out of his mind. The door slid open to reveal his underground lab. Zim straitened up his posture, as he slighty grinned. He confidently marched out of the elevator tube and walked in the direction of the screen.

"Um, Zim" The computer said.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Zim calmly said, pointing up to the ceiling, not stopping.

"But, Master-" Zim cut him off making a zipping noise and motion across his mouth.

"Seriously, you might wanna know that-" Zim cut him off again, making a different noise.

"Zim! it's about the transmi-"

"SILENCE!" Zim shouted, as he called the Tallest. The computer sighed.

"Ooookaay . . . if you insist." The computer warned. Zim smiled triumpfantly, satisfied by his victory against the nagging computer. He pateintly waited for the call to go through.

* * *

The Tallest watched the horrific and deviastaing sight infront of them with smiles on their faces. Looking out the Massive's giant window, they sat on comfortable thrones, munching on snacks. Red and Purple were so close to the enemy planet, that light from the attacking lasers and explosions lit up their faces. They would "Oooo" and "Aaaah" at the pretty colors, with amusment in their eyes. When studied closely, one would be reminded of children watching a parade . . . if, however, you ignored the hideous things happening to the people being invaded down below.

The Armada had arrived nearly a day ago, and ever since, the glorious displays had been none-stop. The Tallest always found discomfort and pain in others amusing - along with distruction -, but their hunger for such entertainment had been growing for quite some time. They were coming closer to gaining total control over the universe. They had taken over hundreds of planets the first two years, but as they branched outwards more and more, there was less and less desireable planets located nearby. Which meant longer travel time in between invasions (much to the leaders' disapleasure).

But the anticipation of it all really built up the excitment, thus making the show more enjoyable and apreciated. Ofcourse, when a moment as spectacular as this happens, that is around the time when their favorite little invader interupts . . .

. . . however not this time. No, Zim's call didn't interupt anything at all.

"Greetings my Tallest!" Zim saluted with an evil, yet, obediant smile on his face upon seeing his leaders.

The Tallest didn't respond. Red took a sip of his drink. Purple scrached an ich on the side of his face.

". . . Ehh, my Tallest?" Zim said aloud, his smile fading.

The two Irkens said nothing. After a few seconds, purple sat back and sighed, taking in the view.

"Ah, this sure is the life, isn't it?" Purple asked his companion.

"Yup. It sure is . . ." Red responded.

Zim's smile was gone, his saluting arm now lowered. He looked into the screen a litte more.

"My Tallest? Hellooooo?" He said. Didn't they see him?

"Hey, it's been a while since Zim called." Red pointed out.

Zim's expression looked a little worried. Oh no. The Tallest have noticed his absense. That must mean they've needed him and his supierior, invader intelect. They must have been so lost with out him. Zim felt bad as he realized that he had let his leaders down. He scrunched up his face a little and cuped his hands around his mouth, drawing in a deep breath.

" . . .BUT IT IS ME! I AM ZIM! I'M CALLING YOU RIGHT NOW!" He shouted very loudly. The two leaders were unfased. Zim lowered his hands and yelled out slightly softer. "Why can't you hear me!"

Purple smirked a little. "Maybe after three years he finally died."

"I have not expired. I'm right here!" Zim said, waving his arms.

Zim's worried expression returned. He was right. The tallest _did_ think something happed to him!

. . . but upon thinking over the way his leader had stated the remark, Zim detected something in the Tallest's tone that didn't seem too sad about the thought . . .

Red rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, we both know that's not gonna happen anytime soon."

Purple directed his attention to his Red. "Aw, come on! We can dream, right? Who knows? Just don't jinx it!"

Zim furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what the tallest ment by their words. "What do you mean 'don't jinx it'?" He sat down in a near-by chair, scooting closer to the monitor.

"But we've tried everything! Know matter what we do, Zim always manages to survive in the end!" Red said.

"Like a little cock-roach . . ." Purple mumured to himself.

Zim's eyes slightly widened. 'Know matter how hard we try?' What was that suposed to mean?

Red Floated up from his chair, hovering around the room as he started his rant. "We tried banishing him to FoodCourtia: He escaped. We send him on a fake mission to some unknown, backwoods planet: He survived and now won't stop bothering us."

Zim furrowed his eyebrows. "What?" He shouted outloud, hoping they would hear him. What were they talking about? What fake mission? Surely they were not refering to the amazing, almighty, ZIM! . . . were they?

"We tried to send him to Hobo 13, so he would die training: He comes out on top!" Red continued. Purple watched his co-ruler fly around the room with bored eyes. "We even tried sending him malfunctioning SIR units to destroy him, but SOMEHOW he get's ahold of a Megadoomer!" Red suddenly flew right up to Purple with a wild look in his eyes. Purple was unfazed, used to his partener by now. "A MEGADOOMER! How did that even happen?" Purple took a sip of his drink in response.

Zim's eyes shifted from Tallest to Tallest. "Wh-what are you guys talking about?" Zim voice sounded a little tinier than it should be. Zim recalled all of those things they were mentioning. But, weren't they proud that he had escaped? Surely, they didn't plan on him dying, did they? No, ofcourse not! The Tallest loved Zim. They would never _intentionally_ try to destroy him.

_Or maybe they would . . ._

Zim narrowed his eyes at the little voice, but instead of yelling at it, he brought his attention back to his leaders.

Red turned away from Purple and approached the window, gazing at the warzone below.

"Don't forget the time we ALMOST had him. Remember the Trial?" Purple reminded.

"You mean when he stood before the control brains, and they labled him 'Defective', but his stupid PAK gave them a virus; then he drove the massive around?How could I forget?" Red said, not taking his eyes off of the window.

Zim squinted one eye, the nervously chuckled. "B-but that was all a joke, remember? Heh heh, right guys?" Zim said, a nervous smile on his face.

_Hmm, it doesn't seem likely that the Tallest would go through all of THAT for just a joke . . ._

"Shut up!" Zim hissed, closing his eyes.

Purple shook his head. "I can't believe that he thought the whole thing was a joke. What an idiot."

"This is ridiculous!" Red shouted, heading back to his seat. "Why is it so difficult to kill off a Defect?"

Zim felt his breath shorten.

Did they just call him a Defect?

no

No

NO!

This isn't happening.

Zim felt a surge of angry energy bolt through him as he lept off the chair towards the transmition screen. He stared into the camera.

"What did you say? Did you just call Zim a Defect? HOW DARE YOU! You take it back!" Zim shouted, starting to get sweaty.

"Since the day he was born, he has brought nothing but devistation to the Irken empire!" Added Purple.

Zim's eyes widened at their words. How could they talk about Zim like this? He squeezed his eyes shut and started banging on the screen.

"No, no! You're lying! You're lying! Why do you lie?" Zim shouted.

"Zim really is a pathetic disapointment to his race." Agreed Red.

Zim opened his eyes and grasped the screen. His expression showed that of sheer horror.

They . . . hated him.

His Almighty leaders . . . _despised_ him.

His own race is . . . ashamed of him.

. . . Zim was an outcast.

Zim felt a lump in his throat. His eyes turned sad. Where did this loathing come from all of the sudden? Why hadn't Zim seen this before? Had they always been like this? Had it gone unnoticed, or had Zim just been ignoring it all this time?

"Why are you guys saying such things? Why are you acting like you hate me? AND WHY CAN'T YOU HEAR ME!" Zim shouted.

"Gosh, when I just think about Zim, it gets me all upset. I HATE HIM SO MUCH!" Purple yelled aloud.

"You . . . you really do hate me . . ." Zim said, looking at Almighty Tallest Purple. Zim slid off of the transmition screen and landed on his feet, his expression unchanged. He faced the moniter, but his eyes were no longer focused on anything in particular.

"All this time . . . you've been wishing, hoping that I would die. You never liked me. Even when we were smeets . . ." Zim furrowed his non existant eyebrows again and looked back up at his leaders. "Why do you hate me so much? I, I am ZIM! I am an Invader! I am far supeirior to all the other invaders. I pass every trial, I destroy more than anyone." Zim's faced looked a little angry now. He pointed up at the screen. "You should know that! You gave me this secret mission after all, remember?"

Red leaned over towards Purple. He sighed, patting his back. "I do too."

"He has got to be the most clueless Irken to ever live. He thinks he so amazing."

"Some of it is our fault, you know." Red said. Purple looked up with one eye squinted.

"OUR fault? How is it our fault that he is so arogant? Huh?" Purple defended.

"Well, it probably doesn't help that we give him false praise all the time." Red explained. Purple rolled his eyes.

"False praise?" Zim's finger lowered.

"Well what are we suposed to do? Tell him the truth? Tell him there _is_ no secret mission; that his _special_ SIR unit is actually made from trash; that he was suposed to die on the way there and that we couldn't care less about that useless planet he's on?" Purple said.

Zim's head lowered, his eyes as wide as ever, mouth opened. His gaze fell on the floor as he tried to take this all in.

"Not to mention we want to rip our antennea off everytime he calls." Red added.

"Or that the only reason he hasn't been executed yet is because he is the first Defect to literally short-circut the control brains." said Purple.

Zim winced when he heard them refer to him as a Defect. He wasn't a Defect! He was a normal Irken. No different from the others . . . well, except he was better than them ofcourse! . . . even though he's one of the only invaders left who hasn't taken over his planet yet . . . or that he was the cause of most misfortunes in his race . . . or that he is the smallest of the invaders . . .

Zim suddenly felt like he was going to be sick.

This couldn't be ture. They must be joking. Zim was amazing!

_But so far, everything seems to be spot on_

Zim placed his hands on his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's not true" He whispered.

"Look, all I'm saying is we certainly haven't helped the situation." Red said. Purple waved away his words.

"Whatever. All I know is that it sure was funny." Purple said, smiling.

Zim, eyes still shut, placed his hands over his eyes. He suddenly felt like was having a hard time breathing. He inhaled deeper, his nausea growing.

There was silence for a while. It wasn't long before the Tallest began again.

"You know, it's a wonder that Zim hasn't called about Tak." Red said.

Zim's antenneas perked up at this, but his head stayed burried in his hands, still processing what the leaders had said. However, their knowledge of Tak was enough to get some of Zim's attention. What could they possibly know about Tak?

"Yeah, I expected to hear SOME kind of word on _that_." said Purple.

Zim slowly lifted his head out of his hands, listening to the Tallests words. His eyes still were still distant and sad, but his anteneas were completely focused, taking in every word.

"You would have thought that would have stirred up _some_ entertainment . . ." Red said.

"Maybe banishing her to Earth wasn't as _diabolical_ as I thought." Purple admited, sad that his idea hasn't caused any drama so far.

Zim felt his hands clench near his chest, but not nessisarily out of anger. More along the lines of overwhelming misfortune and defeat. Zim felt so ashamed and dishonorable (the first time he has ever expeirenced these emotions). And now he knew the cause of Tak's presense.

The Tallests

It was all their doing

As a ploy to to harm Zim in some sort of way

"Well, hold on. Maybe they haven't run into eachother yet." Red reasured.

"Oh come on, how long does it take! We sent her back to the same exact school and neighborhood as Zim. They've got to have had some kind of confrontation!" Purple said.

Zim was silent.

Red shrugged. "Maybe she killed him already"

Zim tilted his head up toward the screen, facing the ones who were causing his pain with sad eyes.

"With what? We took all of her equipment away." Purple reminded. He thought some more. "Maybe he killed her."

Both Tallests looked at each other for a moment, then busted out laughing.

"Oh, that's a good one." Red said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Purple chuckled. "He he he, yeah."

"We definatly would have heard from Zim if THAT happened. He would be talking about it for ages to come." Red added

They were silent for a while. Zim just stared at the screen, hoping that they weren't serious. He was just waiting for one of them to shout out something like, "HAHAHA JUST KIDDING, ZIM!" or some kind of dialoge that would let Zim know that this wasn't real. The pain in his stomac and the nausea he felt would instantly go away. He would not be questioned anymore by the Computer about his "mental health." The voice in his head would go away, and everything would go back to normal.

But that did not happen.

Zim's sickness stayed, he was sure the computer was still worried and the voice was still there.

And the Tallest remained silent.

. . . This was real

Zim held his desperate gaze at the moniter, but fell to his knees, ignoring the pain that shot up his legs. External pain was something that Zim wasn't concerned with at this moment in time. Zim clutched his stomac once again.

"I wonder what it must be like for Zim. To be so . . . oblivious to everything. What goes on in a Defective's mind? It must be fasinating . . ." Red mused after a long silence.

Purple raised a non existant eyebrow, then turned to his friend. "Do you think we should be nicer to him?" Purple asked in a sickly-sweet way.

Zim tilted his head, then stood up.

Red laughed aloud, recognizing Purple's teasing joke. "Ofcourse not!" He said while laughing, as Purple joined in as well.

Zim was shocked at their coldness towards him. This could be seen as his eyes widened.

The Tallests continued laughing for a little while longer until Red noticed a flashing light.

"Oh wait, it's a reminder." Red signaled for one of the crewman to bring it up a screen for him to read. "Call Invader Spleen" Red said aloud, eyes squinted. "Right, right . . . we were suposed to call him."

Purple sighed, then stood up. "Well, let's get to it." He said.

Zim's screen went blank as he was cut off, though he continued to stare at it.

". . . Uh, yeah . . . Gir broke the transmiter so that only you could see and hear the person you are calling. As for them, they are oblivious." The computer explained. "I tried to warn you . . ."

Zim slowly began to shake his head as he stepped away from the screen. "No, this can't be. It just CAN'T BE!" What a fool he's been. All this time, all these long, deticated hours of work ment nothing. Everything was a lie. _Everything_. The Tallest saw him as an annoying joke.

Everything started spinning

They were mocking him. He was a disgrace to his race and his almighty Tallests. He was just a waste of space. They never wanted Earth. Zim finnally saw the big picture as his world around him came shattering down.

Zim felt his PAK hit something and he realized he was backed all the way across the room to the wall. Zim allowed himself to lean up against it, in fear he would collapse otherwise. Zim looked around the now warped room, feeling dizzy. He wanted to vomit. He wanted to . . . to defend himself and swear that he wasn't a Defective, even if the proof was right there. He wanted to make everyone see just how great he was and just what they are missing! He _wanted_ to do all of these things and more, but instead did the only thing he knew how.

. . . He threw a tantrum.

Zim grabed a nearby object and threw it against the screen, causing sputtering electrical shocks to light up the room, then making the screen itself shatter moments after. Zim ran over to something even bigger and struggled to lift it up. He threw it with all his might at some machinery, which exploded on impact. The shock wave caused Zim to get knocked off his feet, but he quickly and clumsily stood back up, now consumed with raging anguish. Zim ran towards a wall and summoned his spider legs halfway across. He lauched himself upward and crased into some hanging equipment. As it fell, Zim pushed off and landed on another, slightly higher piece of Irken Technology. _Irken Technology_. For some reason, Zim couldn't stand the sight of it right now. For it seemed that his very surroundings were mocking him. With his metal extentions, he clawed at the wires all around him, then soon crashed onto the floor. Angry at his own pain, Zim got rolled over, his body begining to have a dull ache. Zim found himself breathing hard as anger consumed his expression. He looked around him st all the Irken insignias and they suddenly came to life. They laughed at him, scoffed at him, tried to hurt him. Zim clawed into the floor, then jumped up, letting out a powerful howl.

He was just getting started.

* * *

Dib walked into the living room. He had a determined and excited look on his face. When he reached the door, he noticed his sister on the couch, as usual. Oh how he wished he could gloat right about now. But he couldn't risk mentioning Tak. Besides, Gaz would probably just blow him off like she always does. But upon a second glace at Gaz, he got the sense that something was off.

Gaz sat in the middle of the couch, phone in hand and gameslave . . . not to be found? She was dressed in her everyday outfit, but her hair was slightly different. It had a . . . softer look to it. And her nails . . . they were painted! . . . Green? Why green? Green wasn't even in her color wheel. Her pouting lips apeared to be wet and shiney. Lip gloss? But Gaz never wore any kind of make up. What was going on here?

"Are you . . . expecting someone?" Dib asked as Gaz grunted in annoyance after checking the clock, then looking back at the phone.

"No." Gaz said, crossing her arms. She eyed her brother and saw that he was in a ridiculous get-up. "Going somewhere?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's . . . swollen eyeball stuff is all. You wouldn't be interested." Dib lied. "I'll be back later." Dib walked out the door.

An annoyed Gaz looked at the clock again. It's been two hours and still no word from him! Oh, this was not helping his case at all. How dare he keep her waiting like this. He had better be planning something big!

Gaz set the phone aside and inhaled, deciding that it would be best if she calmed down. He shouldn't be much longer. She took her gameslave out and started playing.

After what seemed like a long time, Gaz paused her game and checked the clock again. 30 mintues. What was the hold up? Gaz fell backwards on the couch with a big sigh. She layed there, staring at the ceiling. She held her hand up and looked at her green nails that she had absent-mindedly colored almost an hour ago. Gaz let her hand fall beside her. She slid her tongue across her bottom lip. Her lipgloss had worn off. Oh well, it was a dumb idea anyway. Gaz had gotten it as a gift one year (she couldn't remember from who or why) and had never used it until now. She figured she would try it out, but the feeling of it kind of annoyed her. Gaz repositioned herself, then ran her fingers through her hair. She pulled a lock closer to her face and saw that her do had returned to its normal state. Earlier, Gaz had attempted to style her hair. It looked alright, but now it had fallen flat and back to its original way. She let go of her hair and let it fall back into place.

Gaz didn't know why she had "dressed up". She just wanted to. When she got home and looked in the mirror, she had the urge to just . . . play around with her look. Maybe it was because she didn't get out much. Gaz never did anything special, and she suposed this would be as close as she would get. So she figured, "Hey, why not?"

Gaz turned her head to the side and looked out the window. After a few minutes of staring, Gaz noticed that it started to lightly rain. She closed her eyes and listened to sounds it made, feeling a wave of comfort wash over her and she found herself dozing off.

* * *

A loud, booming sound shattered Gaz's peaceful sleep. A blinding flash of light forced her eyes to jolt open. Gaz sat straight up, startled, and took in her surrounds. Everything was a lot darker as the sun seemed to no longer exist. Out the window brewed at catosatophic storm. Flashes of lightning danced in the sky, followed by rolling thunder. It seemed the light rain had grown into a small hurricane. Gaz checked the clock. She felt her eyes widen in shock.

7:30

"Three hours? Really Zim? What the heck?" Gaz said out loud in frustration. Oh how he would . . .

The phone suddenly rang.

Gaz grabed it and eagerly answered.

"Well, it's about time!" Gaz teased her friend.

"Sorry Gaz, I just wanted to let you and your brother know that I will be running late." The Proffesser said. Gaz sighed in disapointment.

". . . Oh, hey Dad." she said as she slumped back down in the couch.

"I should be home in a few days." He continued.

"Uh huh." Gaz said rolling her eyes, not really caring about what her father was saying. She had only heard this speech about every other week!

"Be sure to do your homework, and . . . _try and keep Dib out of trouble_." Membrane said.

"I'll _try_." Gaz said, not making any promises. Her Dad laughed then said his goodbyes, and hung up.

Gaz stood up and moved to the middle of the room, looking outside more. She looked back down at the phone and heard the dial tone. Her grip tightened as her anger grew. She gritted her teeth and felt herself shaking.

"Who invites someone over then never bothers to call them!" Gaz said aloud with tension in her words. There was a flash of lighting that filled the room. Gaz felt her rage boiling over. That's it! She was done waiting! Gaz threw the phone up against the wall and watched it shatter with hate filled eyes. She was going to make that little green punk _pay_. She didn't care if he was her only friend. No one makes a fool out of Gaz Membrane.

_No one_

Gaz walked towards the door and reached for her raincoat. She slipped it on and opened the door. A big gust of cold wind sprayed water on her as she looked out on her flooded lawn. Gaz stepped outwards and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

**A/N: So there it is! I hope it was worth the wait. I'll try to have next chapter up by Christmas, but I can't make any promises.**

**Yes, Zim has finally learned the sad truth (poor guy) I hope he doesn't do anything too radical . . . **

**Oh, and if anyone noticed (I did while writing), I switched back and forth from the terms "Defective" and "Defect". Let me know if this bothers you. I just did it because . . . well, I can't decide which one I'd rather use. But if it is annoying someone, let me know and I will pick one in the future. =]**

**Please, tell me what you thought of it.**

**Gaz - No Good Deed: www(dot)Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=w2BUMfTQZTc**

**Have A Happy Thanks Giving Everyone! XD**


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